A man who covered his ex-girlfriend’s body with a blanket and left her on his sofa for more than two years whilst continuing to live in the flat has been jailed for 14 months.
Jamie Stevens, 51, carried on residing in his Torquay flat after discovering Anouska Sites dead in his lounge, with her remains not being found until police entered the property in May this year. The last known sighting of Ms Sites was in May 2022.
Exeter Crown Court heard Stevens had lied to police about when he last saw Ms Sites, claiming in a witness statement he had not seen her since February or March 2022, when she had actually died in his flat months later.
Discovery in Squalid Conditions
Judge Anna Richardson sentenced Stevens on Monday after he pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of a dead body and perverting the course of justice. The court heard disturbing details about the state of the Upton Road property where Ms Sites’s body was discovered.
Prosecutor Hollie Gilbery told the court: “The officers who attended described the flat as being like that of a hoarder with rubbish, faeces and bottled urine scattered throughout the property.”
She added: “Police started to search the flat, and upon lifting a blanket in the living area they discovered a skeletal arm and hand. Officers did notice there were various fragranced items scattered around the lounge, inferring they must have been to mask any smells.”
Missing Person Investigation
Ms Sites, who would now be 36, was reported missing to police in April 2023, nearly a year after she was last seen. Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the last known sighting of her was on 21 May 2022.
When officers investigated the missing person report, they contacted Stevens as Ms Sites’s former partner. He signed a witness statement claiming he had not seen her since February or March 2022.
Police attempted to visit the Upton Road flat, the last known address for both Stevens and Ms Sites, but received no reply on multiple occasions. When officers spoke to Stevens again, he told them he had recently moved out of the property.
Body Discovered After Two Years
Detectives finally gained entry to the flat on 27 May this year, where they made the grim discovery. The body was subsequently confirmed to be that of Ms Sites through formal identification procedures.
Following his arrest, Stevens told officers that around January 2023, Ms Sites had come to stay with him for the night at the Upton Road flat. He claimed he went out the following day and upon returning at approximately 11.30pm, he found her deceased.
He explained he threw a blanket over her body and continued to live in his bedroom and never really returned to the lounge,” Ms Gilbery told the court.
Judge Condemns ‘Tragic Case’
Sentencing Stevens, Judge Richardson said: “This is an absolutely tragic case. You were in a relationship with Anouska Sites. Ms Sites had a number of difficulties, including substance misuse.”
The judge noted there was no reason based on the post-mortem examination to doubt Stevens’s account of finding Ms Sites dead. “It seems you completely wrongly panicked and simply covered her body. You left her there for years,” she said.
Stevens and Ms Sites had been in a relationship between 2011 and 2014. The court heard Ms Sites had struggled with mental health problems and addiction issues, leading to regular contact with police services.
Defence Claims ‘Passive Failure’
Paul Dentith, defending Stevens, described his client’s initial actions as a “passive failure” to report the death. However, he acknowledged the case became more serious when Stevens signed the false witness statement.
“That is the perverting the course of justice, which moves it to more than just passive non-reporting,” Mr Dentith said. “Perhaps obvious, but when one fails to report something so serious in the first day or so, it becomes rather self-perpetuating.”
Mr Dentith told the court Stevens had said: “Ms Sites was a lovely person, my partner, my friend, and I was devastated when she died, and I miss her terribly.
Police Welcome Sentence
Stevens admitted in interview that he knew what he should have done and that looking back, he didn’t understand why he hadn’t called emergency services. He acknowledged his explanation didn’t “sound right.”
Detective Inspector Jeanne Hellyer, the senior investigating officer, said: “I welcome the sentence handed down by the court today in what is a very sad and tragic case. Anouska was denied the dignity and right of a lawful burial on her death by Stevens.”
She added: “My thoughts remain with Anouska’s family and friends, who can now lay her to rest.”
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed Ms Sites’s death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be submitted to the coroner in due course. The force stated formal proceedings will determine the exact circumstances of her death.
Stevens, of Reddenhill Road, Torquay, had initially appeared at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on 29 May before being remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
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