Man lived for weeks with dead friend's decaying body in his bedroom
A man went on living his life while his friend's corpse rotted away on a mattress in his bedroom.
Jamie Russell continued with his daily routine and kept silent while police carried out a huge manhunt for Matthew Scott, 42, after his family raised the alarm.
It wasn't until maggots started dropping from the ceiling into the flat below until he was found out.
He has been sentenced to prison, with a judge saying that Mr Scott's family were left thinking the unthinkable about their beloved son.
They added that his body was not given the dignity it deserved.
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Prosecutor Sian Cutter said that Mr Scott was reported missing on June 9 last year.
Police had to trawl through CCTV footage to try find his whereabouts and eventually learned that he had left his flat on June 4 but the rest of his journey couldn't be identified, Swansea Crown Court heard.
Cops also called local hospitals but were unable to find him.
Jamie Russell was sentenced to two years in prison for preventing the lawful burial of Mathew Scott in Neath (Media Wales)The court heard that during their investigation police spoke to a man who knew Mr Scott, and he reported seeing the missing man near the flats by the William Hill betting shop on Windsor Road in Neath town centre earlier that month - though he was uncertain of the exact date, he thought it had been sometime around June 7 to June 9, reports Wales Online.
On June 28 officers went to the bookmakers and staff reported they had experienced an issue with maggots coming through the ceiling - they said they had contacted a pest control firm which had determined the maggots were coming from the flat above the business.
The prosecutor said officers went to the Coastal Housing flat in question and noticed flies around the door frame.
They repeatedly knocked on the door but the tenant - 45-year-old Russell - did not answer, and officers were on the point of forcing entry when the defendant let them in.
The court heard police immediately noticed a "very strong smell" in the property and noted a number of candles and a rolled up T-shirt had placed in front of the door to the bedroom. In the bedroom police found the body of Mr Scott laying on a mattress and covered in a blanket. He was identified by tattoos on his body, and was still wearing the same clothes as he had been seen wearing on the day he left his flat.
The court heard Russell told officers he and Mr Scott had taken heroin and his friend had said he wanted to sleep so he had placed a blanket over him and gone to watch a film. He said he had later found Mr Scott unresponsive and had tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and had given him a naloxone spray which reverses the effects of opioid drugs.
Miss Cutter said it had not been possible to establish a cause of death for Mr Scott and there were no signs of significant injuries. She said an entomologist examined fly larvae on the body and had determined they had been present as early as June 10.
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The barrister said it was the prosecution case that Mr Scott died sometime between June 7 and June 10. The court heard that a subsequent examination of CCTV footage from around the area showed Russell coming and going from his flat and engaging in "daily business" from June 8 up until the day he was arrested.
(Media Wales)In his interview Russell gave a prepared statement in which he said he had known Mr Scott for around 10 years having met him in Neath. He said they had both taken heroin at his flat and Mr Scott had said he wanted to sleep so he had gone to watch a film. He said he panicked when he found his friend's body, and had slept little since.
In an impact statement from Mr Scott's partner and the mother of his two adult sons that was read to the court by the prosecutor she described the devastating effect of the death, and the pain at ther inability to properly say goodbye - family were advised not to view the body due its level of decomposition. In the letter she said the family still had so many questions about what had happened, about how their loved one had died, and about why Russell had not sought help and left the body when he knew people were looking for his friend.
Jamie Malcolm Martin Russell, now of St John's Terrace, Neath Abbey, Neath, had previously pleaded guilty to preventing a decent and lawful burial when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has two previous convictions for four offences of theft.
John Allchurch, for Russell, said the defendant had "stuck his head in the sand" after the death of his friend, and it had to be accepted he had done nothing to aid the recovery of the body.
He said his client was "devastated" about what had happened and felt grief and sadness at the loss of this friend, and he said his Russell had asked him to apologise to Mr Scott's family in court.
The advocate said there were letters and reports before the court detailing the defendant's mental health issues, and he said the defendant had a long history of homelessness but was now had stable accommodation, was engaging with a agencies, and was changing his life.
He invited the court to pass a sentence that was not one of immediate custody.
Judge Huw Rees said it had to be made clear that the court was sentencing the defendant not for the death of Mr Scott but for preventing a decent burial.
He said because of Russell's inactions the family of Mr Scott had been left not knowing what had happened to their loved one, while Mr Scott himself had not received the dignity he deserved in death.
He said the offending was so serious only immediate custody was appropriate. With a one-third discount for his guilty plea Russell was sentenced to two years in prison.
He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
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