Family hid gran’s corpse to pocket £111 pension

A mother and daughter kept the corpse of a grandmother hidden in an upstairs bedroom and stole her state pension, a judge ruled.

Olive Maddock, 95, was left leaning behind a door in her bedroom in Wallasey for between two and six months after her death by her daughter Hazel Maddock and granddaughter Jasmine Maddock, the Independent reports.

Hazel Maddock pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of unlawful prevention of burial as well as fraudulently obtaining a single state pension payment of £176.92 and a single payment of pension credit of £34.44.

Jasmine Maddock pleaded guilty to leaving the corpse unburied.

Olive Maddock's body was found last August when a neighbour raised concerns about her welfare and police gained entry to the house.

Judge Gerald Clifton said both defendants must expect a custodial sentence. They will be sentenced on Friday 1 July.

In February, a written question in the House of Lords revealed the accounts of 9,000 dead British expats were still receving state pension payments.

Japanese and Greek authorities have both had significant number of people claiming the pensions of their dead or missing relatives in the past year.