Cruel undertaker stole £15k from grieving loved ones
A ‘CALLOUS and deceitful’ undertaker stole more than £15,000 from grieving friends and relatives, a court heard.
Sharon Howell, manager at Kenworthy’s Funeral Service in Ashton-under-Lyne, defrauded six victims while being employed to arrange their loved ones’ funerals.
After Howell was arrested a police and trading standards inspection of the firm’s chapel of rest found it was in an ‘unsafe and inhumane’ condition and discovered a body that was ‘clearly decomposing.’
Howell, 50, would regularly fail to collect bodies from hospital mortuaries in a ‘timely’ manner, the court heard.
One victim described how their loved one had been ‘abandoned in a fridge’ while Howell lied about them being at the chapel of rest, while another victim described being left ‘in bits’ after discovering her relative was still at the mortuary almost a month after her death.
‘She no longer looked like her,’ the victim said in a statement.
Howell would also repeatedly fail to organise funeral flowers or newspaper death notices and would fail to answer phone calls or return messages, leaving relatives ‘anxious and distressed.’ On one occasion she failed to send a funeral collection in aid of the British Heart Foundation to the charity.
When police searched the premises following her arrest they found a number of cheques made out to the charity which had never been sent.
Rachel Cooper, prosecuting, said police and trading standards at Tameside council launched an investigation following several complaints from Kenworthy’s customers.
After Howell was arrested police and trading standards officers searched the business premises, Ms Cooper said.
They found the chapel of rest, where one body was being kept, in a ‘very poor condition.’
Ms Cooper said: “The smell was described as ‘shocking and powerful.’
“The trading standards officer had to leave the room.
“It was clear the body was decomposing.”
Ms Cooper told the court Howell would defraud her victims by using the bank details they provided to pay for funerals.
When questioned about the missing cash she would blame a problem with the chip and pin machine or bank. In total Howell stole £15,258 from six victims between January 8, 2019 and March 24, 2019.
The court heard some of the victims have been refunded by their banks or card companies.
Kenworthy’s is no longer in business and Howell has since been declared bankrupt, the court heard.
Howell was jailed for 25 months after she pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by false representation at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court. She also admitted six trading standards offences relating to the way she ran the Old Road funeral service.
In total nine families were affected.
Mark Fireman, defending, said at the time of the offences Howell was ‘absolutely desperate’ and ‘physically and mentally ill.’
Mr Fireman said Howell suffered from depression and developed an alcohol problem after being diagnosed with epilepsy and later breast cancer.
He said: “She is deeply ashamed and deeply sorry for what she has done.