A man who dumped a killer's body in a wheelie bin has been jailed for 28 months, telling the court he wants to become a better person. Steven Wales, 61, admitted one count of preventing a lawful and decent burial after the body of Paul Smith was found concealed beneath litter, green waste and furniture in an overgrown garden in Everton.
Paul Smith, 40, known as "Smigger", died of mixed drug toxicity in the bath of Wales' home on Coniston Street in Everton. He had started a fire a week earlier that killed elderly couple Eric Greener and Sheila Jackson in St Helens, for which he was later convicted of manslaughter.
Body found in wheelie bin
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Smith had been a "working family man" but developed a class A drug dependency in late 2024, leading a "chaotic lifestyle" after his release from prison. Prosecuting, Christopher Hopkins said Smith was with Wales at his home on the weekend of July 19 and 20 last year, where they had taken drugs together.
Smith's mother last spoke to him on the afternoon of Saturday, July 19. His brother reported him missing on Monday evening. At 9.22am the next morning, Wales dialled 999 and reported that a man had died of a drug overdose in his bath two days previously.
Police attended Wales' home and were led to a nearby overgrown garden where attempts had been made to conceal the body. Wales was arrested on suspicion of murder but later told detectives he had left Smith at his address and returned to find him dead in the bath, and was "worried about going back to prison".
Family's anguish
In a statement read to the court, Smith's family said: "Paul was a son, a brother, a father, a partner. He was and always will be a deeply valued human. His life mattered." They said Wales' actions meant Paul was "treated in a degrading and humiliating manner in his final moments" and accused him of showing "shocking callousness and, above all, cowardice".
The family said they did not believe Wales had told the full truth of what happened, stating: "We do not believe you singlehandedly lifted Paul down the stairs into that bin. We believe you had help doing this, yet you will not tell us who." They added: "You continue to deprive us of our chance to know what truly happened."
Previous convictions
Wales has 32 previous convictions for 64 offences, including eight years for manslaughter in 2009 and five years for possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply, affray, possession of a bladed article and being in charge of a dangerous dog causing injury in 2023. He was on licence at the time of the offence.
Defending, Joanne Maxwell said Wales experienced "immediate, significant shock" upon finding Smith dead and "panicked". She said he had taken cocaine and diazepam and feared being returned to custody. She read a letter from Wales in which he said: "No words can express how truly sorry and ashamed I am... I want to become a better person and ensure I make better choices in future."
Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC noted the aggravating factors, including that the concealment prompted a murder investigation and that the offence was committed on licence. He said: "I suspect there are all sorts of reasons why you do not want to answer that question. That and other unanswered questions add to the distress of Mr Smith's family."
As Wales was led to the cells, Smith's brother shouted "you little scumbag" from the public gallery. The ECHO previously reported that Smith set fire to the home of Eric, 77, and Sheila, 83, on South John Street in St Helens, killing both. Three others were later convicted of manslaughter in connection with the arson attack.
