Son left dad's corpse in bedroom for three weeks so he could pocket his wages, court told

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Drug user Kieron West is accused of preventing the lawful and decent burial of dad Peter

A son is on trial accused of leaving his father’s dead body to rot for about three weeks, so he could get his hands on wages paid into their shared bank account.

Drug user Kieron West (36) denies preventing the lawful and decent burial of Peter West’s body, between May 25 and June 20.

Mary Loram, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court the defendant and his partner, Emma Hicken (35), lived with Mr West senior at a house in Glazebrook Road, New Parks, in the city.

She told the jury: “Emma Hicken and this defendant realised he had died and did nothing about it.

"They left his body in his room until it rotted, quite literally.

“They only drew it to the attention of anyone – in fact, they used Kieron West’s mother, Valerie Goodwin, to formally discover the body of Mr West, her former partner – when the stench was such it could no longer be hidden.”

She added: “Peter West was not in the best of health.

“He’d been diagnosed with diabetes some years earlier and it is fair to say had perhaps not taken the best care of himself since. He had toes removed from his feet as a result of his illness.

“Despite that, Peter West worked as a postman and was still employed by the Royal Mail when he died.

“In around March of this year, he took sick leave from work as he had a further operation to have a toe amputated.

“This wasn’t a family household in which everyone ate and talked and watched TV together. It is clear from what Peter West himself told a colleague that he kept himself to himself and lived in his room.

“On June 20 of this year, Peter West was found dead in his room. The conclusions of the post-mortem do not lay any blame at the door of the defendant or indeed anyone else.

“The pathologist will tell you that, while there were a number of possible natural causes of death, there was no one conclusive cause that could be found.”

When found, it was obvious Peter West had not died very recently, due to advanced decomposition.

Ms Loram said it was not known when he died but he was last seen on May 26 when he had a dressing on his toe changed by a nurse and failed to attend later appointments.

He was wearing the same clothes as he was wearing when he died.

Ms Loram said: “Peter West was lying upstairs, dead, for – it looks like – two or three weeks.

“I make clear now – Kieron West will say that he wasn’t actually living there in that period but the Crown say that even if he did spend some nights away, he was certainly still a presence in the house.

“It is incredible that in those three weeks, or thereabouts, when Peter West was lying dead upstairs, his son would not have once shouted up, checked on him, done something that would have led to the discovery of his body.


“Both this defendant and Emma Hicken were well aware that Peter West had died.

“The most obvious question was, why not tell anyone?

“The answer to that is an all too common one – money.

“It can only have been.

“Despite the fact that West had a job, they were in debt.”

The majority of the money went on drugs for Kieron West and Hicken, claimed Ms Loram.

She said: “Why would that stop them reporting his death? Because the defendant and Peter West shared a bank account.

“Peter West’s wages – which he was still receiving weekly – were still going into that account. Quite simply, the defendant could not afford to lose that extra income.

“What of Emma Hicken?

“After all, she was the one who was in the house all the time.

“She has pleaded guilty. She has accepted, therefore, knowing that Peter West was dead and not telling anyone.

“Whatever difficulties these two were having at the time – they had been together for over 12 years – isn’t it utterly obvious, common sense that she would tell him that his dad had died?

“It is, surely, beyond belief that she wouldn’t mention it?


“There is a much more credible scenario – if she found out first, of course, she would have told him and a decision was made to keep the money coming in.

“Or he found out first – and a decision was made to keep the money coming in.”

The trial continues.

[Interested-seeker]

How sad :(

[DB1100]

That wouldn't have been a pretty sight.

[NWpostie]

Not the first time, there have been cases where deaths was concealed to continue cashing in on pensions, disability benefits etc.

It's quite sad that we have a generation that puts money and materialism above morals.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Addict who let dead dad rot at Leicester home for weeks so he could collect his wages sentenced

A drug-addicted son who left his father’s dead body to rot for three weeks so he could get his hands on his wages has been jailed for 40 months.

Kieron West was convicted at a recent trial of preventing the lawful and decent burial of postman Peter West, between May 25 and June 20.

The 36-year-old's then partner, Emma Hicken, who admitted to the same offence, was jailed for a total of 21 months.


West denied knowing his 60-year-old father had died at the home they all shared for several years in Glazebrook Road, New Parks, Leicester – claiming he moved out during the relevant period. However, he regularly visited Hicken, who continued living in the house.

When the smell of Mr West senior’s decomposing corpse intensified, Hicken put plastic bags under his bedroom door, Leicester Crown Court was told.

During the trial the court was told by Mary Loram, prosecuting, that the pair only drew Mr West's death to the attention of anyone "when the stench was such it could no longer be hidden”.

After about three weeks, West then used his unsuspecting mother to discover the decomposed body of Mr West, her former partner, by asking her to check on his dad and Hicken.

Rebecca Randall, mitigating for West during the sentencing, said: “It was all about drugs.

“If anything good can come of this, it’s given him the wake-up call he needed and he’s determined now to stop his class A drug use.

“He’s been on a methadone-reduction prescription in custody."

She added: "He realises he put his mother in an unforgiveable situation and needs to address that; but since the trial they’ve been in touch by letter.”

Patrick Duffy, mitigating for Hicken, said: “She kept her head in the sand because she was scared and received no financial benefit.

“Her best mitigation is her guilty plea and she’s expressed remorse in relation to the unburied body.

“She comes across as vulnerable.”

Mr Duffy said Hicken had suffered mentally from ill-treatment as a child, by her aunt, following the death of her mother.

He said: “She started taking heroin two years ago which precipitated a horrendous lifestyle but is now drug free.

“She was introduced to heroin by Kieron West.

“She was dependent on him; he was financially controlling and she was scared of him in the context of drug dealing.”

He said their 13-year relationship was now over.


Detective Inspector Michelle Keen, the senior investigating officer, said after West was convicted by the jury: “Peter was a hard-working and much loved man who had provided for his family and only recently ceased to work [on sick leave] due to his deteriorating health.

“Due to the actions of his son and Hicken, who were living in the house where the body lay for a number of weeks, Peter was denied a proper and timely burial.

“I now hope that the family can begin to come to terms with their loss and move forward with their lives.”

[k979aaa]

Surprised management did not go round to his house and ask to see if his illness was a genuine one like they do at some offices? But would they have the common sense to realise what was going on? But in any case RIP one of our workers he did not deserve that no one does but that's how f****d society is in this land!