Man who sexually abused bodies at Grimsby's Diana Princess of Wales Hospital mortuary jailed
A "depraved" father-of-three who broke into a hospital mortuary before abusing two men's bodies has been jailed.
Damon Tingay, 30, was seen riding around the grounds of Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby on a bicycle for around two hours in the early hours of 17 March.
CCTV then caught him forcing open the mortuary door and going inside.
Grimsby Crown Court heard he was filmed opening several fridges and interfering with the bodies.
He punched one body twice before committing sexual offences.
Tingay was in the mortuary for four minutes before being disturbed by hospital staff and attempting to flee, leaving a “horrifying scene" behind, the court heard.
Judge John Thackray told Tingay: "Your actions were depraved, perverted, indeed utterly grotesque. You violated and defiled loved ones, causing immeasurable harm to numerous victims.
"You caused incredible pain and turmoil. The families may never recover."
In a statement, one member of hospital staff described walking into a “horrifying scene” with fridges open and bodies pulled from shelves.
She said: "I have seen a lot in my career. This was one of the worst things I have seen in my life. It was the indignity, the lack of respect. I couldn’t stop crying.”
Prosecutor Jeremy Evans said when Tingay was arrested he was described as volatile, shouting and screaming that he had done nothing wrong, and at one point claiming he had been blamed for a friend’s suicide and was seeking answers.
In an interview with police, he said he had no memory of the incident.
In statements submitted to the court, the mother and aunt of one of the patients who was the victim of a sex act described the "incredible pain when they discovered what had happened to a dear and precious loved member of their family".
A statement from the brother of a man who was disturbed when his drawer was opened said he suffered nightmares and had been "traumatised" by the fact his brother’s body "had been disturbed in a place where he trusted he would be safe and at peace".
Craig Lowe, defending, said Tingay wanted to "offer a wholehearted apology to all friends and family of those he subjected to degradation and humiliation through his obviously totally appalling behaviour".
The court heard character references describing Tingay as a "great dad and partner" and "pleasant, friendly and trustworthy".
But the judge said there was "significant planning and contemplation" from Tingay before he committed the offence and told him: "There's undoubtedly a very, very dark side to you."
Tingay, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two charges – trespassing with the intention of committing sexual offences and performing a sexual act on a body.
He was jailed for six years, with an extended period of four years on licence.
A spokesperson for the North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said the incident was the result of "the actions of a rogue individual".
They added: "Since this occurred, we have worked with Humberside Police, our regulators and stakeholders in order to make some immediate enhancements to arrangements, and to review our security measures at all of our mortuary sites in the Humber region.
"We have been in regular contact with the Human Tissue Authority, who visited the site shortly after the incident, to review practices within our mortuary services to ensure they are robust, and that the deceased patients in our care are safe and well looked after.
"Our principal concern of course is the wellbeing of the families of those who have been affected by the dreadful actions of this individual."
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