Neath man left friend's dead body in bedroom for more than two weeks

A man who left his friend's dead body to rot for more than weeks on a mattress in his bedroom has been jailed.

Jamie Russell, 45, from Neath, kept the decomposing body of Mathew Scott even as family and the police searched for him, carrying on with his usual day-to-day life.

Swansea Crown Court head police began to review CCTV footage in an attempt to find Mr Scott, 42, after he was reported missing on 9 June last year.

Checks revealed he had last left his flat on 4 June but they could not tell his movements beyond that, with checks of local hospitals in the Neath area also failing to produce a result.

Police only discovered the body of Mr Scott after maggots started dropping from the ceiling of the shop below.

After someone who knew Mr Scott told police they had last seen him near the flats where Russell lived, officers visited the bookmakers downstairs.

Staff reported issues with maggots coming through the ceiling, saying pest control determined they were coming from Russell's flat above.

The court heard when officers went to visit Russell's flat they noticed flies around the door frame. Knocking on the door repeatedly, there was no answer and officers were on the verge of forcing their way in before the defendant opened the door.

Police immediately noticed a "very strong smell."

In the bedroom, police found the body of Mr Scott laying on a mattress and covered with a blanket. He was identified by tattoos on his body, still in the same clothes he had been seen wearing when he left his flat.

The prosecution said it is believed Mr Scott died sometime between 7 and 10 June but that it was impossible to determine a cause of death.

The court heard Russell told officers they had taken heroin and Mr Scott had wanted to sleep.

He had placed a blanket over his friend and had gone to watch a film, returning later to find Mr Scott unresponsive. Despite giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and a naloxone spray, which reverses the effects of opioid drugs, Mr Scott died.

Interviewed by police, Russell said he panicked when he found his friend's body, and had slept little since.

A family impact statement read out in court described the devastating impact of Mr Scott's death and their pain at not being able to properly say goodbye. Family had been advised not to view the body due to its decomposition.

In the letter, Mr Scott's partner and the mother of his two adult sons said there were still a lot of unanswered questions around his death, including why Russell had not got help and why he had left the body even when he knew people were looking for his friend.

Defending Russell, John Allchurch said the defendant had "stuck his head in the sand" following the death of his friend and his client was "devastated" at what had happened.

Mr Allchurch also said his client had mental health issues and had a long history of homelessness but was now in a stable accommodation. He said Russell was changing his life and urged the court not to immediately send him to prison.

Jamie Malcolm Martin Russell, now of St John's Terrace, Neath Abbey, Neath, had previously pleaded guilty to preventing a decent and lawful burial. He has two previous convictions for four offences of theft.

Sentencing, Judge Huw Rees said it needed to be made clear Russell was not being imprisoned for the death of Mr Scott but for preventing a decent burial.

He said Mr Scott's family had been left not knowing what happened to their loved one, while the defendant's friend had not received the dignity he deserved in death.

The judge said the offence was so serious only custody was appropriate.

With a one-third discount for his guilty plea, he sentenced Russell to two years in prison.

Russell will serve up to half of that in custody before being released on licence.

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