Fraudulent funeral directors who 'preyed on families at their most vulnerable' are jailed

Two fraudulent funeral directors who led a grieving family to falsely believe their loved one had been cremated have been jailed.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary launched a detailed and complex investigation into the business practices of Elkin & Bell Funeral Directors on Nobes Avenue in Gosport, resulting in one of the first UK convictions of its kind.

The investigation began after a report was made to police at 10.45am on 10 December 2023. At that time, High Court bailiffs had entered the business premises – run by 49-year-old Richard Elkin and his partner Hayley Bell, aged 42 – to repossess the property on behalf of the landlord. The business was in rent arrears, had accrued debts and received numerous county court judgements.

Whilst inspecting the property, bailiffs located the bodies of two elderly men in a room at the rear of the premises.

Concerns were raised about the condition of the bodies. The premises was in a state of disarray with broken windows, used coffins, lack of refrigeration in the area in which bodies were stored, water dripping through the ceiling, and a pungent and unpleasant smell.

The police investigation unveiled a series of failings in the business that impacted a number of families and the wider community. The business had been fraudulently trading, and Elkin had displayed a forged ‘Certificate of Funeral Directing’ in the front of their office which claimed to have been issued by the National Association of Funeral Directors. This was entirely false.

Shockingly, family members for one of the deceased found by the bailiffs were deceived into believing that their loved one had already been cremated on 4 December, when the body was in fact still lying in situ and decomposing in the rear of the Nobes Avenue address after 36 days.

Elkin had initially claimed that they had been unable to proceed with the cremation because they hadn’t received the insurance payment, but the police investigation revealed this to be untrue, and proof of payment to the defendants from a pre-arranged funeral plan was obtained by investigators.

Months later, Hayley Bell confirmed to police in a statement that she had received the payment but simply did not ‘have the time’ to sort the cremation.

Elkin and Bell had in essence received money that they did not earn, as they did not carry out the required services such as booking the funeral or even purchasing a coffin. The prosecution argued that the reason the defendants did this was because their business had long been insolvent, and the business model was a case of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’.

Another family had entrusted Elkin and Bell with the care of their baby, whose body was brought to the mortuary on 5 June 2023, and it was documented in the mortuary register that the body remained on the premises until 13 July. However, on 6 July Environmental Health officials attend the premises and noted that there were no bodies in the mortuary at all, begging the question as to the whereabouts of the baby’s body on that particular day. The family still to this day do not have an answer to this horrifying question. 

A number of families were represented at the trial that started at Portsmouth Crown Court on Monday 17 November 2025.

Elkin and Bell, both of Nobes Avenue in Gosport, faced a string of charges, for which they were found guilty by a jury on all counts on Friday 12 December.

Richard Elkin was found guilty of:

• Intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance between 27 June 2022 and 11 December 2023.
• Preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body between 3 November 2023 and 11 December 2023.
• Carrying on a business with intent to defraud creditors/for other fraudulent purpose between 10 August 2022 and 11 December 2023.
• Making a false instrument with intent for it to be accepted as genuine.
• Using a false instrument with intent for it to be accepted as genuine.

Hayley Bell was found guilty of:

• Intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance between 27 June 2022 and 11 December 2023.
• Preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body between 3 November 2023 and 11 December 2023.
• Carrying on a business with intent to defraud creditors/for other fraudulent purpose between 10 August 2022 and 11 December 2023.

At a previous hearing, Elkin also pleaded guilty to possession of pepper spray.

They both appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Thursday 19 February for sentencing where they were both sentenced to four years in prison. They were also both disqualified from acting as directors for any company for a period of 7 years.

Passing sentence, His Honour Judge James Newton-Price KC remarked that during the offending period there were more than 40 bodies in Elkin and Bell's care, and he highlighted the "serious, profound and enduring distress" caused to families by the defendants' actions. He said: "No sentence can be a reflection of the value and the worth of the bodies neglected whilst in the care of Elkin and Bell."

During the hearing, family members for the deceased read emotional victim impact statements describing how they were robbed of their opportunity to say goodbye to their loved ones and their right to grieve. Speaking of Elkin and Bell, one said: “They exploited the industry and preyed on families at their most vulnerable.”

The grieving mother of the baby involved in this case spoke of how Hayley Bell - a friend of hers for 23 years - had sealed her son’s coffin so she could not see or hold him one last time, in an effort to conceal the condition of his body. Addressing Hayley directly, she said: “A mother’s last right to hold her baby was taken away. Now the memory of him is muddied and connected to the mistreatment he received.”

In one final act of contempt towards the victims in this case, Elkin hurled verbal abuse at a grieving man as he read out his statement in court, before Elkin was hauled down to the cells by court staff.

Assistant Chief Constable Tony Rowlinson said: “First and foremost my heart goes out to all of the families who have been affected by the actions of Elkin and Bell.

“I have met with the families present at court in this case and I am horrified by what they have experienced.

“When we lose a loved one, we put our complete faith in funeral directors as trusted pillars of the community. We turn to them when we are at our most vulnerable and we rightly expect that we are treated with honesty and compassion, and that our loved ones are treated with care and dignity.

“Elkin and Bell completely shattered the trust of those who turned to them whilst they were grieving. This is one of the worst betrayals I have ever seen in my policing career.

“There are families who now know the extent of the malpractice that went on, and the manner in which their loved ones were handled. But equally there are some families who still have unanswered questions.

“Elkin and Bell have robbed all of those affected of their one chance to say goodbye to their family or friends in a respectful and dignified manner, and that is utterly unforgivable.

“I have no doubts that the vast majority of funeral directors in the UK provide an exemplary service to their community, but this case shows that there are a minority who are capable of inflicting immeasurable harm, and it is clear that better regulation is needed to prevent this from ever happening again.

“I want anyone else who has been affected by this type of offending to know that as a police service we do have powers to prosecute – we will listen to you, we will support you, and we will do everything in our power to secure justice for you and your loved ones.”

Andrew Eddy, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Today’s sentence marks an important moment — one of the first times funeral directors have been held criminally accountable for denying families a lawful and dignified burial.

"Richard Elkin and Hayley Bell abused their position of trust, stored bodies in degrading conditions, lied to grieving relatives, and continued trading when they knew they could not meet even basic obligations.

"Their actions were deliberate and caused deep emotional harm to dozens of families.

"They robbed many of their one chance to say goodbye with dignity. The sentence today reflects the seriousness of that betrayal.

"Our thoughts remain with all the families affected by the actions of Elkin and Bell. No family should ever have to face such distress, especially at a time of loss.

"I am grateful to the families for their courage throughout this case and we hope that today brings some measure of justice.

"The CPS will continue to work with police to ensure that those who exploit grieving families — and who deny the deceased the dignity they deserve — are held fully to account."

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said: “Elkin and Bell betrayed their community, and nothing was in place to stop them. While the sentences handed down today may provide some comfort for families, it will never be enough.

“This police investigation is a landmark case. Detectives discovered a judicial black hole.

“New legislation is essential. We must introduce a law which accurately reflects the mistreatment of a body after death, and the government must act fast to introduce a robust regularity framework for funeral directors.

“At the moment, anyone can set up a funeral director business without any qualifications or standards to adhere to. The recommendations for the sector are clearly outlined in the David Fuller Inquiry which was published last year. I urge the government to act swiftly on the recommendations, they cannot be delayed.

“The emotional turmoil of the loved ones affected by this case is unimaginable and will undoubtedly have a long lasting impact on the wider community.

“Grieving families deserve reassurance that their loved ones will be treated with the highest standards of care and compassion. Anything less should be a criminal offence.”

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