Husband jailed for hiding dead wife's body under bed and telling police she had 'gone on a CRUISE' (photos)

                                      

A grieving husband who hid his dead wife’s body and told police she had ‘gone on a cruise’ has been jailed for one year.

David Parker, 50, of Halstead, Essex, concealed the body of his 52-year-old wife Jacky, claiming he went into shock following her sudden death.

She collapsed and despite desperately trying to save her with mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions Parker could not revive her.

But instead of reporting the death of his estranged wife, Parker ‘cleaned up’ her body before wrapping it in a blanket and putting it under a bed at a caravan in Clacton.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Mrs Parker was last seen alive on October 31, 2013 - and Parker made a ‘distraught’ phone call to his brother four days later confessing what he had done.

                                               

Police were sent to the couple’s caravan at Valley Farm Holiday Park and questioned Parker. But despite the dead body being just feet away from an officer, he believed Parker’s lie that his wife had ‘gone on a cruise’. 

It was only when police returned in the following days as their investigations continued that Parker confessed the truth.

He was jailed for a year after admitting a charge of concealing a body and preventing a lawful burial at an earlier hearing.

The court heard that unemployed Parker had panicked when his wife died because there were two restraining orders in place preventing him from contacting her.

A post mortem proved inconclusive but investigations took place to find out if the death was unlawful.

Following a review of the case the Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was ‘no realistic prospect of conviction’ on either murder or manslaughter charges as there was no evidence to suggest Parker played a part in her death.

In a prepared statement, read out to the court, Parker, of Halstead, Essex, said his wife had choked on her own vomit. He also admitted breaking the two restraining orders. 

Despite being jailed for a year, Parker will be out of custody imminently due to the amount of time he has served on remand awaiting the conclusion of the court case.

Judge John Dodd QC said: ‘There was no sinister motivation here but we are all entitled to be treated with respect in death, as in life. There is something profoundly distressing about this case.’

Robert Miric, prosecuting, told the court Parker was asked by his wife to care for her at her caravan as she was suffering from flu-like symptoms.

She told her husband that she was in the process of getting the restraining orders lifted.  Mr Miric said after a week Mrs Parker felt well enough to go out for a meal but the next day she was dead.

Parker denied perverting the course of justice by lying to the police about the disappearance and that count was left to lie on file. After her death, Mrs Parker’s family paid tribute in a statement.

They said: ‘We are all completely devastated by this news. Our mum will truly be missed and loved forever. We are all deeply heartbroken.’