Man Lives with Dead Body of Ex-Girlfriend in Flat for Years
A 51-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 months in jail after a court heard he lived alongside the body of his ex-girlfriend for several years in his Devon flat.
Jamie Stevens pleaded guilty to preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice after the skeletal remains of Anouska Sites were discovered by police in May 2025.
The court heard that Ms. Sites was last seen in May 2022. Her remains were discovered on May 27, 2025, after police entered Stevens’ former flat in Upton Road.
Officers described the property as being in a “hoarder-like” condition and found the deceased under a blanket in the living area, with fragranced items scattered nearby, apparently to mask any odours.
Defendant’s Account and Charges
Stevens told investigators that Ms. Sites had come to his flat around January 2023 and that he found her deceased on his sofa the following day.
He claimed he panicked, covered her body, and then avoided using the lounge. He was charged with perverting the course of justice for telling police in a witness statement in April 2025 that he had not seen Ms. Sites since early 2022.
In sentencing, Judge Anna Richardson described the case as “absolutely tragic” and acknowledged Ms. Sites had struggled with substance misuse.
The judge stated there was no evidence to doubt Stevens’ account of how he found the body but said he “completely wrongly panicked.” Stevens had previously pleaded guilty to both charges.