The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Feuding family to split Fife man’s ashes.
The widow of deceased had accused her stepdaughter of stealing Thomas Scott’s body from Edinburgh mortuary
A feuding family are to split a former Black Watch soldier’s ashes after months of arguments over the fate of his body.
The relatives of the late Thomas Scott have finally called a truce, almost eight months after his death at his Glenrothes home.
It means his daughter Tina, 37, and second wife Sandra, 36, will each receive half of Mr Scott’s ashes after he is cremated.
The former private, who served in Northern Ireland during his 10-year army career, died from bronchopneumonia and multi-drug toxicity on March 2, but his funeral was put on hold while the cause of his death was investigated.
Meanwhile, Tina and Sandra have been arguing over where the service should be held.
His widow had accused Tina of “stealing” her father’s body from Edinburgh City Mortuary at the conclusion of the probe last week, a claim denied by Tina, who said she was acting on Thomas’s wishes.
She claimed he had sent her a 4am deathbed email asking her to arrange the funeral rather than his wife of seven years.
Tina has now reluctantly agreed to release the body to Sandra and accept an offer to split the ashes.
Tina, who lives in County Antrim, said: “For his dignity, I have now released the body to Sandra as he is decomposing.
“We were told environmental health would have to come in if this isn’t sorted.
“My undertaker says she will have a legal document drawn up so we can split the ashes.”
The mother-of-four said she had wanted to hold her father’s funeral in Northern Ireland, but Sandra had insisted on a cremation in Fife.
Sandra said she had been stunned to learn her stepdaughter had removed Thomas’s body from the mortuary on Wednesday night, hours before her own funeral directors arrived to collect it.
She accused Tina of theft and claimed it was she who was executor of Thomas’s will.
“Thomas was not in the right frame of mind and it’s only an email,” she said.
“It’s not worth the paper it’s written on.”
For his dignity, I have now released the body to Sandra as he is decomposing