Harrowing words of families whose loved ones were left to rot by ‘evil’ funeral directors
Two funeral directors were described as ‘vile’ and ‘evil’ as they were jailed for leaving bodies to rot in unrefrigerated conditions.
Richard Elkin, 49, and Hayley Bell, 42, ran the decrepit Elkin and Bell Funerals in Gosport, Hampshire, where the mortuary room was recorded at 11.48C – well above the recommended 4C.
Their trial at Portsmouth Crown Court was told the pair neglected their duty to adequately store bodies so they could save money on running costs.
The court heard harrowing statements from the bereaved families of 13 people left to the care of Elkin and Bell.
The bodies of two elderly men were found by High Court enforcement agents who had been tasked with repossessing the premises because of unpaid rent and debts.
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That of 87-year-old William Mitchell ‘showed obvious signs of decomposition’ after being left in the mortuary room, which was not refrigerated and had water coming in through a leak in the roof, for 36 days.
Mr Mitchell’s family said they ‘feel totally betrayed’ by the way he was treated, having described how he knew Elkin and Bell before his death and would bring Bell sweets.
His nephew, Darren Williams, said: ‘He was a very kind-hearted man.
‘He entrusted Elkin and Bell with his final wishes.
‘They totally betrayed his kindness.’
More than 40 other bodies stored at the funeral directors between June 28, 2022, and December 10, 2023, were not seen separately at hospital, prosecutor Lesley Bates KC had told jurors.
The trial had heard there had been five other known cases of ‘badly decomposed’ bodies kept in the mortuary room of Elkin and Bell.
Ms Bates said of the 40 unseen bodies: ‘Bearing in mind the condition of the bodies they did see, what happened to these others?’
Judge James Newton-Price KC said the state of the bodies is ‘unknown’.
The family of Patricia Williams, known as Ann, told the court they received a call from the coroner to tell them about the lack of care she had received from Elkin and Bell and she had been frozen due to how much of a bad condition she was in.
Her youngest son Lee Williams said: ‘I witnessed my mother’s body in a state of decomposition I saw it with my own eyes and smelt it in the air.
‘It is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
‘This has meant that I have never and doubt I will ever grieve the loss of my mother.’
He said that Elkin and Bell ‘left us feeling deceived and abandoned at our most vulnerable moment’ and he is haunted by the memory of his mother defrosting in the summer heat.
‘When I carried her coffin, ice melted on to my hands and shoulders, mixed with the smell of decomposition. That was the last act I could do to honour my mother.’
His brother, Jamie Williams added he never knew a ‘rogue funeral director’ existed and it shows how ‘evil’ and ‘vile’ Elkin and Bell are.
Corinne Boulton told the court Bell was a long-time trusted friend of 23 years and went to her to look after her son, Albie, who died 11 minutes after he was born.
She said it felt wrong in her gut that his casket was sealed shut so she couldn’t hold her baby one last time.
‘A mother’s last right to hold her baby was forever taken away. Not to save me but to save Hayley from the mistreatment he had received,’ she said.
She added: ‘The fact you both have refused to speak shouts volumes and will always leave me and Sam wondering what happened to him.
‘While I carry a new deeper grief having to carry on every day for my family, it haunts me the unknowns all the time.
‘I’m so disappointed I ever knew you.’
Elkin and Bell were both found guilty of intentionally causing public nuisance between June 27, 2022, and December 11, 2023, preventing lawful burial of a body between November 3, 2023, and December 11, 2023, and carrying on a business fraudulently between August 10, 2022, and December 11, 2023.
Elkin was also convicted of the forgery of a certificate of funeral directing and using it as a false certificate on or before December 10, 2023.
He also previously pleaded guilty to illegal possession of pepper spray.
Judge Newton-Price handed down jail terms of four years for each of them for the main offence of public nuisance, and lesser concurrent sentences for the other convictions.
After the judge’s sentencing, someone could be heard in the courtroom saying: ‘It’s not enough.’
Andrew Eddy of the Crown Prosecution Service said the sentence marked an ‘important moment’ in one of the first times funeral directors have been held criminally accountable for denying families a lawful and dignified burial.
‘Richard Elkin and Hayley Bell abused their position of trust, stored bodies in degrading conditions, lied to grieving relatives, and continued trading when they knew they could not meet even basic obligations,’ he said.
‘They robbed many of their one chance to say goodbye with dignity. The sentence today reflects the seriousness of that betrayal.’
The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management renewed its call for ‘urgent’ statutory regulation of the funeral sector.
Chief executive Matthew Crawley said: ‘While we recognise that the vast majority of funeral professionals serve families with dignity, care and the highest level of professionalism every day, this case demonstrates the potential for profound harm when standards are not underpinned by statutory oversight and robust accountability mechanisms.
‘Bereaved families place enormous trust in our sector.’
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