Man hides body under sofa undiscovered for 10 years

Alan Derrick. (Photo: www.HSW.cn)
A man's decomposing body lay under a sofa in a flat for almost a decade without being found, according to media reports Friday.

The deceased, 73-year-old Denis Pring, had been living with a city council tenant Alan Derrick in a flat in Bristol, UK.

The two were friends and drinking partners, and Derrick had invited Pring to stay there because he had nowhere else to go.

In 1998, Derrick found his lodger dead on his sofa and rather than report it he decided to cover the body with cushions and two armchairs.

Fearing that he could be evicted if he turned to the authorities because Pring was an illegal lodger, Derrick went on sharing the flat with the body for ten years.

Neighbours repeatedly complained to the council about an appalling stench from the flat. Wardens made at least two visits to the property, but the body was not found because the flat was totally a mess.

When the body was found in 2008, officials were shocked at the state of the flat, which had no running water, electricity or gas and was knee-deep in litter. The bath tub was full of human excrement.

Former council binman Derrick was initially arrested by police on suspicion of murder but was later released when forensic tests revealed no evidence of foul play.

Source: Xinhua