Man Lived For Weeks With Dead Friend's Decaying Body In His Bedroom

Image: Media Wales

In June of last year, a disturbing incident unfolded as a man went about his daily routine while his friend's body decomposed on a mattress in his bedroom.

Jamie Russell carried on with his normal activities and remained silent as police launched a massive manhunt for 42-year-old Matthew Scott after receiving a call from his family.

He wasn't discovered until maggots began to fall from the ceiling into the apartment below.

Image: Media Wales

According to the court that sentenced him to prison, Mr. Scott's family was left thinking the unimaginable about their adored son.

They continued by saying that his body had not been treated with respect.

Mr. Scott was reported missing on June 9 of last year, according to prosecutor Sian Cutter.

Image: Media Wales

After looking over CCTV footage in an effort to track him down, police were able to determine that he had left his apartment on June 4 but were unable to pinpoint the rest of his route, Swansea Crown Court heard.

Police also contacted nearby hospitals, but they were unable to locate him.

The court heard that during their investigation, police spoke to a man who knew Mr. Scott, and he reported seeing the missing man near the flats by the William Hill betting shop on Windsor Road in Neath town center earlier that month. Though he was unsure of the precise date, he believed it had been between June 7 and June 9, according to Wales Online.

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After contacting a pest management company, which established the maggots were coming from the apartment above the place of business, the personnel at the bookmakers told cops they had a problem with maggots entering through the roof on June 28.

According to the prosecutor, when the cops arrived at the Coastal Housing apartment in question, they saw flies around the door frame.

Officers knocked on the door repeatedly, but the 45-year-old tenant Russell did not answer. At one point, they were about to force entry when the defendant opened the door for them.

Police reportedly arrived at the house and noticed a "very strong smell" right away. They also observed several candles and a rolled-up T-shirt in front of the bedroom door.

Police discovered Mr. Scott's body in the bedroom, where it was lying on a mattress and covered by a blanket.

He still wore the same clothes that had been spotted on the day he left his flat, and tattoos on his body served as identification.

Russell reportedly told police that he and Mr. Scott had taken heroin and that after his friend stated he wanted to sleep, he had covered him with a blanket and gone to see a movie.

He said that after finding Mr. Scott later and attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, he had also administered a naloxone spray, which opposes the effects of narcotic drugs.

Mr. Scott's cause of death could not be determined, according to Miss Cutter, and there were no obvious symptoms of serious injuries. Fly larvae were found on the body, she claimed, and an entomologist had concluded they had been there as early as June 10.

The prosecutor's case, according to the defense attorney, is that Mr. Scott passed away between June 7 and June 10. The court was informed that after reviewing nearby CCTV footage, Russell could be seen entering and leaving his apartment as well as conducting "daily business" from June 8 until the day of his arrest.

Russell stated in a prepared statement that he had known Mr. Scott for around 10 years after meeting him in Neath during his interview. He claimed that they had both ingested heroin at his apartment and that Mr. Scott had left to watch a movie after claiming he needed to sleep.

He claimed that after seeing his friend's death, he had a panic attack and hadn't gotten much rest.

In an impact statement read in court by the prosecutor, Mr. Scott's partner and the mother of his two adult sons spoke of the death's devastating effects and the pain of not being able to properly say goodbye.

Family members were advised not to view the body due to its state of decomposition. 

She stated in the letter that the family was still unsure of what had happened, how their loved one had passed away, and why Russell had not called for help and had left the body while he was aware that people were seeking his friend.

When Jamie Malcolm Martin Russell came in court for sentencing, he had already pled guilty to denying a decent and legal burial. He is currently a resident of St. John's Terrace in Neath Abbey, Neath. He had two prior theft convictions for a total of four theft offenses.

Russell's attorney, John Allchurch, claimed that the defendant "stuck his head in the sand" following the death of his companion and that it was inevitable that he had not helped in the body's discovery.

He claimed his client was "devastated" over what had occurred and was grieving and saddened by the loss of this friend. He also claimed that his Russell had asked him to apologize to Mr. Scott's family in court.

The defendant had a lengthy history of homelessness, according to the advocate, who said there were letters and papers describing the defendant's mental health difficulties before the court. The advocate also claimed that the defendant was improving his life and was now living in stable housing and interacting with several services.

He requested that the court issue a sentence other than immediate custody.

It must be made clear, according to Judge Huw Rees, that the defendant was not being sentenced for causing Mr. Scott's death but rather for impeding a proper funeral.

He said that as a result of Russell's inaction, Mr. Scott's family was left in the dark about what had happened to their loved one, and Mr. Scott himself was not treated with the respect he deserved in death.

Only immediate detention was necessary, according to him, because the offense was so heinous. Russell was given a one-third reduction in prison time for his guilty plea, and he was given a two-year term.

Before being granted a license and allowed to serve the remaining time in the community, he will serve up to half of that time in custody.