Preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body is an offence under the common law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, triable only on indictment and punishable by up to life imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both. It covers acts such as detaining a body over a claim for fees or debt, refusing to release it to executors for burial, or selling a body entrusted for burial for dissection. It is distinct from disposing of a dead child's body with intent to conceal the birth, which is charged as a separate offence.
Facts
Typical PenaltyTriable only by indictment; punishable by, at maximum, life imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both. 1 Elements of OffensePreventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body, for example by detaining a body upon a claim for fees or a debt, refusing to deliver it to the executors for burial, or selling for dissection a body entrusted for burial. 1 Notable ExampleHans Rausing was charged with the offence in July 2012, which The Guardian described as a highly unusual offence. 1 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
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Source Preventing the lawful burial of a body (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
Prevention of the lawful and decent burial of a dead body is an offence under the common law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Preventing the lawful burial of a body (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
Prevention of the lawful and decent burial of a dead body is an offence under the common law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Preventing the lawful burial of a body (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
Prevention of the lawful and decent burial of a dead body is an offence under the common law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Sources
1. Preventing the lawful burial of a body (Wikipedia)
Lead paragraph, third sentence
It is triable only by indictment and can be punished by, at maximum, life imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both.
Second paragraph, first sentence
An example of the offence, standalone, is detaining a body, for instance upon a claim for fees or a debt, refusing to deliver it to the executors for burial, or when entrusted with it for burial selling for dissection.
Lead paragraph, reference 2 (The Guardian, 18 July 2012)
Hans Rausing charged with highly unusual offence
In Group: Offenses Against Corpses and Graves, Lead sentence
Prevention of the lawful and decent burial of a dead body is an offence under the common law of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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