46 Bodies Left to Rot: Funeral Directors Convicted After Deceased Bodies Stored in Unrefrigerated Room

Two funeral directors from Gosport, Hampshire, have been convicted following an investigation that led to the discovery of 46 deceased individuals that were haphazardly stored in an unrefrigerated space. With the condition of the place, the bodies were said to be decomposing over periods spanning weeks and, in some cases, more than a month.

The guilty verdict applied to 49-year-old Richard Elkin and 42-year-old Hayley Bell, the principal operators of Elkin and Bell Funerals. They were convicted of multiple serious crimes, all of which are related to the systematic collapse of ethical standards and an extreme failure in business responsibility.

Systematic Fraud and Forged Credentials Exposed

The Portsmouth Crown Court handed down the convictions against Elkin and Bell for their neglect at their funeral home located in Gosport between June 2022 and December 2023. The court noted the shocking conditions and the number of bodies affected by their actions.

The prosecutors' condemnation was firm, stating that their offences were highly unusual but amounted to severe violations of the respect and dignity owed to the deceased. The judge stated that the defendants had fundamentally shattered the bond of trust that grieving families must have placed in those responsible for handling their loved ones.

Pointing to Elkin's specific deceit, the prosecution stated that the directors knowingly continued to operate. Pointing out Elkin's deceit, the prosecution also secured a conviction against him for forgery after law enforcement found a fake certificate displayed as if it were officially issued by the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD).

How the Appalling Crime Was Uncovered

The misconduct wsd only discovered in December 2023 when bailiffs, acting on behalf of creditors, visited Elkin and Bell Funerals due to the company's insolvency.

According to the prosecutor, Lesley Bates KC, the bodies of two elderly men were initially found by court agents who were carrying out a repossession of the premises due to outstanding debts, which included an amount exceeding £13,000 in unpaid rent.

Inside the premises, Bates also found that numerous bodies were being stored improperly in a room without refrigeration, which is necessary to preserve human remains. During the trial, the prosecution also presented bodycam footage that revealed how grim the scene was, with one scene showing a room with a leaking ceiling and bodies in different stages of decomposition.

'Water was coming in through a leak in the roof of the mortuary room, it was running down the walls,' Ms Bates testified. 'The room was not refrigerated. The temperature within the mortuary room was no different from elsewhere in the premises.'

She went on to recount that one body, identified as 87-year-old William Mitchell, showed signs of obvious decomposition as he had been in that room for 36 days already. Ms Bates said the elderly man's family were 'incredulous' when they learned that their kin's body was not cremated.

Legal Charges and Regulatory Gaps

The police investigation confirmed a shocking timeline: throughout an 18-month period, the funeral directors routinely kept bodies in uncooled conditions, fully aware that the lack of proper temperature control would hasten decomposition. Now, the charge of systematic fraud against Elkin and Bell stemmed from their decision to continue accepting new business, taking payments, and assuming custody of deceased individuals, despite knowing their firm was insolvent and unable to fulfil its basic contractual and ethical obligations.

Meanwhile, on top of fraudulent business, preventing lawful burial of a body, and forgery, the jury also found Elkin and Bell guilty of intentionally causing a public nuisance. They are scheduled to return to Portsmouth Crown Court for sentencing on 19 February 2026.