A grieving son walked in on a "depraved" lorry driver having sex with his dead mother's body, a court heard. Stephen Sellars, 62, of Church Street, Hibaldstow, near Brigg, was jailed for 16 months at Hull Crown Court after admitting an offence of sexual penetration of a corpse on August 31.
The woman, aged 60, died at her home after suffering cancer, and her body was still there pending arrangements with funeral directors. Her family had tried to ensure her dignity was maintained, with her body kept under a quilt in the living room, dressed in a nightie.
Son discovers the offence
The woman's son and another family member returned to her home to find the gate bolted, which had not been the case when they left. They had to use a key to open the door, and the curtains in the room were drawn. Sellars, who knew the woman had died, was having sex with her. She was naked from the waist down.
Sellars said: "Sorry. I deserve knocking out." He admitted he was "depraved" and had "crossed a line that should never have been crossed". He claimed he did not know what came over him, called it a "new low", and blamed drugs for his behaviour.
Impact on the family
The woman's son said it was like his mother had been "violated" and his mind went blank. He suffered nightmares, saying: "This incident has had a massive impact on me." He branded Sellars "disgusting" and said what he had done was "surreal". "There is nothing he could ever say that could justify it," he said.
He said losing a mother was one of the most traumatic experiences a person could go through and he had been "devastated" at her loss. "What happened made me feel numb," he said. "I just don't understand why he could ever do such a thing to my mum," he added.
Sellars had convictions for 13 previous offences, none for sexual matters, with his most recent conviction in 1988. Benjamin Donnell, mitigating, said Sellars acted out of character and it was a one-off offence. "This is a very depraved and cruel act which was committed by the defendant," said Mr Donnell. "He had the good sense to plead guilty when he did. He has no history of this depraved behaviour."
Sentence and reaction
Judge John Thackray KC told Sellars: "You had clearly planned to do this and had taken various actions to avoid detection. You had bolted the gate. You locked the door and you had drawn the curtains." Sellars was "discovered in the act" and got dressed and ran from the property.
The judge said of the woman's son: "He feels understandably numb and betrayed. He has nightmares. Your offending has had a profound effect upon him and, no doubt, he will never fully recover from the effects of your offending."
Judge Thackray noted that the maximum sentence for the offence was two years at the time, before credit for early guilty plea, making 16 months, but the law changed on September 29 to increase it to seven years. "Had the offence taken place a month later, the sentence would have been measured in years, not months," said the judge.
Sellars was jailed for 16 months, given a five-year sexual harm prevention order, and must register as a sex offender for 10 years. The judge confirmed there were no reporting restrictions, as these only applied to a victim of sexual offences during their lifetime, and he had "no power" to make any restrictions.
After the hearing, a family member, 44, of Louth, told Scunthorpe Live: "It's nowhere near long enough." He added he was "impressed with the judge" for imposing the maximum sentence possible. "He gave him the best he could," said the man. "Everything has just been on hold until this happened today." When asked if he had a message for Sellars, the man said: "I hope you die in prison."
