The families who entrusted the care of their family members to Elkin & Bell Funeral Directors in Gosport have referred to as for urgent changes to rules following the “unspeakable horrors” dedicated.
The “shocking” case has highlighted the dearth of regulation within the funeral sector with no minimal requirements to arrange a parlour or {qualifications} required for practitioners.
Gosport MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage, has secured a debate within the House of Commons as we speak (March 9) the place she is anticipated to call for full licensing regime of funeral administrators, common inspections, and minimal {qualifications}, in addition to a transparent plan from Government for how to ship this.
The families of a few of Elkin & Bell’s victims have spoken out in assist of extra stringent rules following the turmoil they’ve been put by means of.
Corrine Boulton’s deceased son was within the care of Elkin and Bell in July 2023 once they falsified the dates of his time there.
She stated: “When our baby was born and died, we entrusted him to Elkin and Bell to care for him on our behalf. Unbeknownst to us the funeral industry isn’t regulated and unspeakable horrors can and do happen to our loved ones.
“This has to change – everyone in the industry needs to be held to the high standards of dignity for the deceased that we expect.”
Elkin & Bell Funeral Directors was shut on December 10, 2023 after bailiffs entered the constructing to discover an aged gents in a badly decomposed situation.
After a trial, which concluded in December 2025, the pair have been discovered responsible of stopping lawful burial, deliberately inflicting a public nuisance and fraud at Portsmouth Crown Court.
Jamie Williams entrusted the care of his deceased mom to Elkin and Bell and has referred to as for a change to the legal guidelines to stop the “awful crimes” being dedicated sooner or later.
Jamie stated: “My mum was the victim of an unregulated and outdated system that does not protect our loved ones when they are at their most vulnerable. It’s unthinkable that anyone could be a Funeral Director, even without something as simple as a DBS check.
“I don’t want anyone to go through what my family has, the feeling of letting your mum down. Regulation cannot come soon enough, as well as sentencing guidelines to ensure that the sentence fits the awful crimes committed.”
Gosport MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage, stated: “This is the most shocking case I have had to deal with as an MP.
“Regulation is imperative if we are going to restore trust in this industry. I was speechless when I first found out that anyone can set up a funeral directors. You could do it in your front room if you wanted and it would be perfectly legal. That situation has to change.
“Since Elkin and Bell have been sentenced I can speak publicly and loudly about this issue. I’m calling for a range of measures to make sure this never happens again and, if it does, that justice is delivered swiftly and proportionately.”
