Cemetery worker jailed for illegally selling plots

A cemetery worker who admitted illegally selling burial plots has been jailed for 16 months.

William Henderson made thousands of pounds by selling burial plots which did not exist by forging documents or selling sites which already contained remains at the Mount Vernon Cemetery in Edinburgh, the Crown Office said.

He pled guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to running a fraudulent scheme between 2006 and 2015, which affected 13 bereaved families.

In some cases the 45-year-old told families they were purchasing empty burial plots. However, they already contained human remains in unmarked graves. He had been employed at the cemetery from 1997 and was made full-time superintendent in 2014.

Passing sentence, Sheriff Donald Corke said Henderson only stopped when the scheme began to unravel and “the damage had been done”.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Grainger said: “William Henderson successfully obtained large sums of money from people mourning the death of loved ones.

“At no point during our inquiries did Henderson show any remorse for his actions.”