Seventeen-year-old Gabrielle Barbus, a talented photographer and keen goalkeeper, died on 30 December 2025 following a struggle with mental health issues. His body has remained unburied for five months due to a bitter religious dispute between his estranged parents.
His father, Stefan Barbus, adheres to an orthodox Christian faith and insists on a burial, fearing that cremation would endanger his son’s soul. His mother, Georgia Opritescu, who is non-religious, wants Gabrielle to be cremated and his ashes scattered in the Devon countryside to “return him to nature”.
The parents separated in 2010 and divorced in 2013. In February, Mr Barbus obtained an injunction preventing Ms Opritescu from taking steps to dispose of the body after she obtained a grant of letters of administration without his knowledge.
At London’s High Court, Mr Barbus told Judge Jonathan Klein that Gabrielle was baptised Christian orthodox and that burial respects the sanctity of the body and soul, stating: “This is not just a duty, this is a way of respect to my child.” He argued that cremation is irreversible and unacceptable.
Ms Opritescu countered that Gabrielle did not grow up in a religious household and would not want to be “confined” in a coffin or urn. She said scattering his ashes would set him free. The court heard there is no clear indication of Gabrielle’s own wishes on the matter.
Judge Klein must decide between burial and cremation, and if cremated, whether ashes should be interred for visitation or scattered. The ruling is expected to resolve the five-month deadlock and allow the teenager to be laid to rest.
