THE GRAVE ROBBER
Cemetery conman sold fake deeds for burials in occupied lairs and for plots on paths to rip off grieving relatives
A CEMETERY boss conned bereaved families into buying occupied or non-existent plots.
Callous William Henderson admitted in court yesterday that he defrauded grieving relatives of £14,000 – but it is believed the
true total could amount to more than £32,000.
Henderson, 46, carried out the fraud while superintendent at Edinburgh’s Mount Vernon Cemetery, which is the city’s only Catholic burial ground.
He sold forged burial deeds to the grieving, often pretending he was helping families in a time of need.
But he was peddling plots which were already owned, had remains interred in them, or were located on common ground.
He altered records to make plots appear vacant and families were given false title deeds.
Edinburgh sheriff Donald Corke yesterday warned the former gravedigger a prison sentence was the “most likely outcome” when he appears again for sentence next month.
In one case, a family were sold a plot to bury an 86-year-old great-gran – which turned out to be under an access path.
In another, a woman paid Henderson £900 for a burial space and tombstone where a stillborn baby was laid to rest in 1959.
An elderly woman was given forged deeds for four unavailable plots, one of them for her terminally ill daughter, at a cost of £2000.
Henderson, from Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, even claimed to some buyers that he was selling plots he owned personally because he needed cash after a divorce.
One relative even gave him £50 in gratitude for finding a plot, unaware Henderson was keeping the £800 charge for what was actually a piece of common ground.
The Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh, who own the Liberton cemetery, said they “deeply regret” the actions of their former employee and are supporting families.
Among Henderson’s victims was the family of Rose Walker – described as “fiery and loving with a great sense of humour”– who died aged 86 in 2013.
Rose had told husband William, 96, she wanted to be buried at Mount Vernon.
Her family had believed the graveyard was full, but were filled with relief when Henderson told them a two-layer grave was free and paid £650 in cash to purchase the plot.
Months later, Rose’s
He might be very pleasant and helpful. But so are most psychopaths DOT FRASER
daughter, Dot Fraser, was contacted by police, who said her mother had been buried in an unofficial grave beneath an access path.
Dot said: “It wasn’t until after the police informed us about Henderson that my sister Jackie opened the deed and found out that it was a piece of rubbish.
“It had the wrong date on it. It was dated before my mum died and it was obviously a photocopy.
“The day of my mum’s funeral it was snowing and all we saw was the area covered in snow. Now we can see quite clearly it’s an access path.
“My mum’s certainly isn’t the only grave in the path. There are a number that you can see dotted right along it.”
Dot added: “Henderson earned a lot of money on the back of people at their lowest point.
“He got right in there and saw an opportunity. So for all he might be very pleasant and helpful, so are most psychopaths.”
Her sister Frances Corbett added: “It wasn’t
clear whether or not my dad’s remains could go in the same grave, which would have been absolutely devastating.
“Luckily, we’ve had a commitment that my mum and dad can be buried together.”
One man handed Henderson £6500 for eight plots. Aidan Higgins, prosecuting, told the court: “It was found these plots did not exist and the deeds were just fictions.”
Henderson worked at Mount Vernon from 1997 until 2015. He became acting superintendent in 2012 and was confirmed in the post in 2014.
His late father, William Henderson snr, had preceded him as superintendent.
Henderson’s activities came to light in January 2015 when the archdiocese received a complaint from an undertaker.
Henderson agreed to go on leave. He was suspended that April and resigned two weeks later.
He admitted 13 instances of fraud between 2006 and 2015, totalling £14,720. He had been suspected of other frauds, taking the entire fraud to a potential total of £32,000.
The church have borne the financial losses, while families who bought fraudulent plots were found land in appropriate areas of the cemetery.
Dr Elspeth Atkinson, the archdiocese’s chief operating officer, said Henderson exploited “grieving and vulnerable” families.
She added: “That’s why his crimes are so shocking. The archdiocese has been working hard over the past months to offer both pastoral and practical support to those families affected by his actions.
“We will, of course, continue to do so in the months to come.”
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Grainger, who led the inquiry, said: “William Henderson’s deception and exploitation led to him amassing thousands of pounds.”
Henderson, whose bail was continued, declined to comment on the case as he left court.