A 62-year-old man, Stephen Sellars, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for sexually penetrating the corpse of a woman who had died at her home in North Lincolnshire, England.
Sellars, from Hibaldstow, was sentenced at Hull Crown Court on Friday, October 16, after pleading guilty to the offence. The disturbing incident came to light when the deceased woman’s son and nephew returned to the property and caught him committing the act.
Prosecutor Rachel Scott told the court that the woman had died after being diagnosed with cancer eight weeks earlier. She described the deceased as a proud woman whose family had worked hard to preserve her dignity throughout her illness.
The court heard that Sellars had been left alone with the woman for about 15 minutes. During that period, he bolted a gate, locked the door and closed the curtains before carrying out the offence.
When her son and nephew discovered what was happening, Sellars dressed himself and fled the property.
According to the prosecution, messages exchanged afterwards showed Sellars saying he had been drunk and did not know what had come over him. However, he denied the offence during an initial police interview before subsequently admitting guilt.
In a statement read to the court, the woman’s son described the incident as unimaginable, saying it had a massive impact on him. He said nothing could justify what had happened and expressed the emotional devastation caused by the violation of his mother’s dignity.
Judge John Thackray KC described the offence as a clearly planned attack. He said the victim’s son felt numb and betrayed and did not believe he would ever fully recover from the experience.
The judge imposed a five-year sexual harm prevention order on Sellars and a restraining order protecting the woman’s son and nephew.
The court also heard that Sellars had not committed an offence since 1988 and had worked as a lorry driver. His defence lawyer, Ben Donnell, acknowledged the seriousness of the case but asked the court to consider a suspended sentence.
The judge explained that the maximum prison sentence available for the offence at the time was two years. He said a legislative change due to take effect less than a month later would have increased the maximum penalty to seven years. Sellars’ sentence was reduced in recognition of his early guilty plea.
