A man who kept a body in a freezer for over two years in a Birmingham flat has been jailed.
Damion Johnson pleaded guilty at Derby Crown Court to preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body at a previous hearing in May 2023. He initially pleaded not guilty to three counts of fraud but changed his plea in August.
The 51-year-old had lived with John Wainright in flat at Holloway Head for a number of years, but when the 71-year-old died, Johnson bought a freezer to conceal the body and took money from his account over a number of years.
Mr Wainright’s remains were found by workmen inside the freezer in August 2020 after it had been moved to a skip yard following an eviction from the property.
Johnson was sentenced to two years in jail for preventing a lawful burial and received six months for each of the three counts of fraud, which will run concurrently.
Police say they believe Mr Wainwright had died in September 2018, but discovered his bank account had seen almost £20,000 used between that date and August 2020.
When relatives asked Johnson where their loved one was, he told them he had died and that the funeral had already taken place. He also covered his tracks with medical professionals by telling them that he had moved to a different area and that he had no forwarding address for him.
Inspector Ranj Sangha said: “Mr Wainwright was denied the dignity of a lawful burial and the circumstances of his death required investigation. Johnson has admitted placing him into a freezer after his death but denied causing him any harm or being responsible for his death.
“The investigation shows that the freezer was ordered at the time of or shortly after his death and Johnson had kept it at his home address showing complete disregard for his friend. Mr Wainwright was left in the flat for a number of years and his body was only discovered when the freezer was cleared to a skip yard.
“Johnson said that he was suffering from hallucinations at the time of his friend’s death, yet the ordering of the freezer and the delivery days later would show a degree of planning by Johnson.
“He then concocted a web of lies about Mr Wainwright’s death which has been consistently told to friends and family for his own benefit of receiving money that he wasn’t entitled to and a place to reside.
“The discovery of the body after a period of two years was in tragic circumstances and has affected all those involved. However, Johnson has not once shown any remorse throughout the investigation for the way in which Mr Wainwright was treated.”