Funeral home owner stored 31 bodies on shelves in Hull, sentencing hearing begins

Discovery of the bodies

In a refrigeration unit at a funeral home in Hull, northeast England, police found 31 corpses stored on shelves. The bodies, which should have been cremated months earlier, were in various stages of decomposition and largely uncovered. Among them were the remains of a baby, later identified as Sunny Beverley, who had been stillborn in May 2022 and whose body had been stored for nearly two years. Officers also recovered more than 100 urns containing ashes. The funeral home's former owner, a 48-year-old man, had already pleaded guilty in April to dozens of charges including theft and fraud. His five-day sentencing hearing opened on Monday at Hull Crown Court.

On both sides of the room, bodies lay on shelves. The vast majority were uncovered and in various stages of decomposition.

Prosecutor Chris Paxton told the court that a former employee had likened the premises to "the scene of a horror film". The defendant, he said, had treated bereaved families poorly, made false promises, and misappropriated donations intended for charity. Instead of cremating the deceased as agreed, the owner gave relatives ashes from other people. The discovery has left dozens of families uncertain about the fate of their loved ones' remains.

The prosecution's case

The funeral director claimed financial difficulties drove his actions, citing debts of around £90,000 (€105,000) because "people didn't always pay". Paxton rejected that account. The businessman had "acted at his own discretion and spent the money on himself or others", the prosecutor said, pointing to "excessive private spending". The company's financial situation was "by no means precarious", Paxton added. The prosecution argued that the defendant had systematically defrauded families and the state, using funeral payments for personal gain rather than covering operational costs.

A mother's grief

Jasmine Beverley, whose son Sunny was stillborn in May 2022, told the BBC the funeral director had seemed "sympathetic" and "very respectful". She was shocked to learn that her son's remains had been found in a brown bag on the floor of the premises, nearly two years after the funeral service.

I had to realize that he was still there — almost two years after the funeral service.

Beverley had believed her son had been cremated. Instead, his body was among those discovered by police. She described the discovery as a profound betrayal of trust. Her statement is one of more than 100 that will be read during the sentencing hearing.

Sentencing and victim impact

The sentencing hearing is expected to last five days. More than 100 victim impact statements from relatives are to be read in court. The defendant faces a prison term after admitting to the charges in April. The case has drawn widespread condemnation in Hull, where families entrusted the funeral home with their loved ones' remains. Some relatives have said they intend to confront the defendant directly during the proceedings. The judge will consider the scale of the fraud and the emotional harm caused before passing sentence.