Hor-ror Family Feud: Mum’s B-o-d-y Remained in Mortuary for FOUR Years Until Shocking Court Battle Was Exposed
A MUM’S body was stored in an undertaker’s drawer for four years while her children were locked in a court battle.
Mum-of-five Laura Collins tragically died in 2022 without making a will after contracting Covid.
Laura died in 2022 but has not been buried yetCredit: Champion News Service
Her youngest children Clint, Michael and Cheryl Collins fought their older siblingsCredit: Champion News Service
Her oldest son Godfrey, 59, was supposed to organise his mum’s funeral with his sister Joan, 57, but an “unusual” and “shocking” series of delays means Laura has still not been buried four years later.
The mum is instead lying in an undertaker‘s drawer – having accumulated storage charges of at least £5,500.
Her son Michael Collins, 49, backed by his other two siblings Cheryl and Clint took his oldest siblings to court to gain control of Laura’s body and her £725,000 estate.
Chief Master Karen Shuman has now appointed Michael as administrator of the estate – giving him control of his mum’s funeral and distributing her money between the siblings.
She said: “There must be one person in charge to allow the family to come together as far as possible in dignity.
“The deceased can now be laid to rest with dignity. That is what ordinary humanity now demands.”
The court heard Laura moved to London from Grenada in the 1960s and raised five kids – working in healthcare to support her family.
But a “shocking” situation unfolded after her ventilator support was turned off, which was the subject of a legal challenge by Joan and Godfrey.
The older siblings “were unable to accept that the death of the deceased was not the fault of the hospital caring for her,” the judge said.
Years of delays followed, with the younger siblings told there was “a case for prosecuting against the hospital” and that an inquest was pending, which never actually happened.
Michael will now be able to lay his mum to restCredit: Champion News Service
The case went to the High Court in LondonCredit: Alamy
An added complication was a possibility being raised of repatriating Laura’s body to Grenada, the court heard.
The siblings were then locked in an “extended disagreement” as Michael claimed his older siblings “messed” him about.
He claimed he messaged Godfrey at one point about Laura’s funeral but was just told: “I’ve got a lot on”.
Michael added: “They wouldn’t confirm anything and kept on moving the goalposts.”
Meanwhile their mum’s body was being stored in an undertaker’s drawer in Leyton, East London, at a cost of £20 per day.
The court heard all five siblings had an equal right to deal with their mum’s estate – which includes a £725,000 property in West Kensington – under law, as she died intestate.
But the judge went on to make an order appointing Michael the sole administrator in the “unusual” circumstances of the case.
He will now fund the funeral himself but reclaim the costs from the estate.
Michael will also pay off the £5,500 storage charges, then reclaim them from Joan and Godfrey’s portion of the estate.
The £53,332 legal costs are also to be paid from the older siblings’ share of the estate, if not paid first.
In her ruling, the judge said there “has been a litany of excuses about what was being done”.
She added: “This is not an ordinary case of siblings disagreeing…The result has been stalemate, indignity for the deceased’s body and suffering for her family and friends.”
In a statement outside court, the younger siblings thanked their lawyers, adding: “Laura Collins was a mother of five, grandmother of three and a dear friend to many.
“She arrived in the UK in the 1960s and made her home in west London. Laura worked hard to raise her family by working in healthcare and other service industries. She was a kind and hard working woman who was well-loved by all who knew her.
“Despite the racism and hostility she endured during the 1960s to 1980s, she loved living in London and had a real sense of community.
“She enjoyed dancing, music and was god-fearing. She loved soca and calypso music, baking and cooking traditional Caribbean dishes.
“She is missed greatly and we are grateful to Master Shuman for allowing us to lay her body to rest.”
