A funeral director in Cornwall has been sentenced after leaving the body of an 86-year-old woman at his premises for over a month beyond her scheduled cremation.
Jack Weekes, 32, of Millbrook, pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful and decent burial of Elizabeth Penhaligan, whose family had paid £3,382 for her funeral in advance. The cremation was scheduled for 16 October 2023 at Glynn Valley Crematorium in Bodmin but did not take place until 1 December 2023—about six weeks later.
Truro Crown Court heard Weekes, who was in debt at the time, had spent the money he received from Mrs Penhaligan’s family to pay off his credit card. While her body remained at J Weekes Funeral Directors, other funerals were carried out without issue, leaving the family “beyond distressed.”
In a statement read in court, Mrs Penhaligan’s son, Andrew, said: “I feel that I’ve not had any proper closure since my mum’s passing and I’ve not been able to say goodbye to my mum properly. When the incident first occurred, I began to suffer with nightmares, and I have continued to do so for the last 18 months.”
Weekes, who also suffered from mental health problems, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid community work and undergo mental health treatment.
Sentencing Judge James Adkin said Weekes had “told lies to cover your back” after falsely claiming Mrs Penhaligan had been cremated in Plymouth. The judge highlighted that Weekes had betrayed the trust of grieving families who expected care and dignity during funeral arrangements, “neither of which were afforded to Mrs Penhaligan.”
A second charge of fraud by false representation, which Weekes denied, was ordered to lie on file.
