Gosport Funeral Directors Convicted Over Unrefrigerated Bodies and Fraud

Overview

• Richard Elkin, 49, and Hayley Bell, 42, were found guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court of causing a public nuisance, preventing lawful burial, and carrying on a business with intent to defraud creditors.
• High Court enforcement agents discovered two bodies in December 2023 at the Gosport premises, where the mortuary room lacked refrigeration and the building showed serious disrepair.
• Investigators established that 46 bodies were kept at the site between June 2022 and December 2023, many for over 30 days, including an 87-year-old man left for 36 days despite a funeral plan.
• Elkin was additionally convicted of making and using a forged funeral directing certificate and of possessing pepper spray.
• Police leaders highlighted reliance on centuries-old common law in bringing the case and called for new legislation and stronger regulation of funeral directors.