Latest news with #AnouskaSites
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Boyfriend found ex-partner dead but left her body on the sofa covered in a blanket for YEARS in sick act
A MAN has been jailed after living for more than two years with the body of his dead ex-partner lying on his sofa under a blanket. Jamie Stevens, 51, kept the remains of 36-year-old Anouska Sites in the living room of his flat in Torquay, Devon, after finding her dead, and never told police. 2 Stevens was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court to 14 months in prison for preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice. The second offence related to lying to officers in a signed witness statement about when he had last seen Ms Sites. Anouska was last seen in May 2022 but was not reported missing until April this year. Police then began an investigation to trace her. They spoke to Stevens, who claimed he had not seen her since February or March 2022. Officers visited the Upton Road flat several times but got no answer. Stevens later said he had moved out. When police forced entry on 27 May 2025, they found the grim truth. Prosecutor Hollie Gilbery said: '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.' The property was described as being like that of a hoarder, with rubbish, faeces and bottled urine strewn around. Stevens told officers Anouska had stayed the night in January 2023. He went out the next day and returned to find her dead on the sofa. He admitted he 'threw a blanket over her body' and carried on living in his bedroom, avoiding the lounge. Defending, Paul Dentith said: 'Ms Sites was a lovely person, my partner, my friend, and I was devastated when she died, and I miss her terribly. She deserved better.' Mr Dentith added Stevens's failure to report the death quickly became 'self-perpetuating' as time went on. Judge Anna Richardson told Stevens: 'It seems you completely wrongly panicked and simply covered her body. "You left her there for years.' She described the case as 'absolutely tragic' and accepted there was no evidence of foul play. Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed Anouska's death is not being treated as suspicious. A file will be sent to the coroner. Detective Inspector Jeanne Hellyer said: 'Anouska was denied the dignity and right of a lawful burial on her death by Stevens. "My thoughts remain with Anouska's family and friends, who can now lay her to rest.' 2
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Torquay man who lived with body for three years jailed
A man who left his partner's body in the living room of his flat for three years has been sentenced to 14 months in jail. Jamie Stevens, 51, pleaded guilty to preventing a lawful burial between May 2022 and May 2025. Stevens, of Reddenhill Road, Torquay, had found his partner Anouska Sites dead on the sofa in his flat in May Crown Court was told on Monday how he covered her body with a blanket and never used the room again. 'Devastated' Ms Sites was reported missing in April this year and police found her at the flat in Upton Road - which Stevens had since moved out of - on 27 May. Hollie Gilbery, prosecuting, said Stevens lied to police about when he last saw Ms Gilbery said he told officers she had died in January Dentith, defending, said Stevens was "devastated" by his partner's Insp Jeanne Hellyer said: "Anouska was denied the dignity and right of a lawful burial on her death by Stevens. "My thoughts remain with Anouska's family and friends, who can now lay her to rest." Judge Anna Richardson said it was an "absolutely tragic case". "You completely wrongly panicked and covered her body and left her there for years," she added. The judge said his remorse was genuine as he referred to Ms Sites as a "lovely person who deserved better". Stevens also plead guilty to committing a series of acts with intent to pervert the course of justice between April and May 2025.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
'Devastated' boyfriend covered ex-partner's body with blanket and left her undiscovered on sofa for years
A "devastated" boyfriend who found his ex-partner dead on his sofa covered up her body with a blanket and left her undiscovered for years, a court heard. Jamie Stevens, who carried on living in the flat in Torquay, Devon, as the body of Anouska Sites remained in the lounge, has admitted she "deserved better", his lawyer said. The 51-year-old was jailed for 14 months at Exeter Crown Court after pleading guilty to charges of preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice. The second charge related to Stevens lying to police in a witness statement about his knowledge of the whereabouts of Ms Sites. Ms Sites' death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be submitted to the coroner in due course, Devon and Cornwall Police have said. The last known sighting of Ms Sites, who who would now be 36, was in May 2022 and her remains were not discovered until May 2025, Exeter Crown Court heard. Hollie Gilbery, prosecuting, told the court Ms Sites was reported missing to the police in April 2023. "Inquiries confirmed she had last been seen by police in May the previous year," she said. "Unfortunately, due to her vulnerabilities, including mental health problems and addictions, she had been in fairly regular contact with the police." Ms Gilbery said contact was made with Stevens as a former partner of Ms Sites in April this year, making inquiries about her whereabouts. "He told the police he had no contact with Ms Sites since February or March 2022," she said. Police spoke with Stevens again on 27 May and he told them he was no longer living at the flat in Upton Road. Officers later went round and gained entry. "The officers who attended described the flat as being like that of a hoarder with rubbish, faeces and bottled urine scattered throughout the property," Ms Gilbery said. "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." Stevens, of Reddenhill Road, Torquay, who was in a relationship with Ms Sites between 2011 and 2014, was arrested and told police it was her body. "He explained she had come to his flat around January 2023 asking if she could stay the night," the prosecutor said. "He went to his own bed and left her sleeping in the living room. "The next day he had gone out, returning at about 11.30pm, assuming that Ms Sites would have left, but instead he found her on the sofa. "He explained he threw a blanket over her body and continued to live in his bedroom and never really returned to the lounge." Read more from Sky News:Huge fire breaks out on Arthur's SeatUK bracing for yet another heatwave Paul Dentith, defending, described Stevens's actions in not reporting the death of Ms Sites as a "passive failure". "Until he signs the statement saying he hasn't seen Ms Sites for a number of years," he said. "That is the perverting the course of justice, which moves it to more than just passive non-reporting. "Perhaps obvious, but when one fails to report something so serious in the first day or so, it becomes rather self-perpetuating. "The fear of reporting it... even a week or so later." Mr Dentith said Stevens had told him: "Ms Sites was a lovely person, my partner, my friend, and I was devastated when she died, and I miss her terribly. She deserved better." Jailing Stevens for 14 months, Judge Anna 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. "It seems at some time between mid-2022 and April 2023 Miss Sites went missing. She was not reported missing until April this year. "There is no reason on the basis of the post-mortem to doubt your account of having found Miss Sites dead in your address. "It seems you completely wrongly panicked and simply covered her body. You left her there for years."
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Man, 51, lived with his ex-girlfriend's dead body on his sofa for more than two years
A man who covered his ex-girlfriend's dead body with a blanket and left her on his sofa for more than two years has been jailed. Jamie Stevens, 51, carried on living in his flat in Torquay, Devon, after he found Anouska Sites dead in his lounge. Exeter Crown Court heard that the last known sighting of Ms Sites was in May 2022 and her remains were not discovered until May this year. Stevens previously appeared at the court on July 15 when he plead guilty to preventing the lawful burial of a dead body. He also admitted committing a series of actions with intent to pervert the course of justice, according to Devon and Cornwall police. Stevens was remanded in custody and appeared at court today - where he was sentenced by HHJ Judge Richardson to 14 months in prison. Anouska, who would now be 36, was reported missing to police in April 2023. Officers carried out initial enquiries which confirmed the last known sighting of her was on May 21, 2022. The investigations led officers to speak to Stevens, her former partner, and he signed a witness statement saying he had not seen Ms Sites since February or March 2022. Officers then visited the flat on Upton Road - the last known address of both Stevens and Anouska - but there was no reply on a number of occasions. Officers spoke to Stevens again, and he told them he had recently moved out of the property. But detectives gained entry to the flat on May 27 this year when they found the body of a woman, which has since been confirmed to be Ms Sites. Stevens was subsequently arrested and in an interview told officers that around January 2023, Anouska went to stay with him for the night in the Upton Road flat. Police state he went out the following day and when he returned, he found her deceased. He covered her body with a blanket and left her in place. Stevens allegedly told officers that he knew what he should have done and that looking back, he doesn't know why he didn't call the emergency services. He admitted that he knew the explanation didn't 'sound right'. He also admitted he had made a false statement to police regarding when they had last had contact. Hollie Gilbery, prosecuting, 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. '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.' Stevens, who was in a relationship with Ms Sites between 2011 and 2014, was arrested and told police it was her body. 'He explained she had come to his flat around January 2023 asking if she could stay the night,' the prosecutor said. 'He went to his own bed and left her sleeping in the living room. 'The next day he had gone out, returning at about 11.30pm, assuming that Ms Sites would have left, but instead he found her on the sofa. 'He explained he threw a blanket over her body and continued to live in his bedroom and never really returned to the lounge.' Jailing Stevens for 14 months, Judge Anna 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. 'It seems at some time between mid-2022 and April 2023 Miss Sites went missing. She was not reported missing until April this year. 'There is no reason on the basis of the post-mortem to doubt your account of having found Miss Sites dead in your address. 'It seems you completely wrongly panicked and simply covered her body. You left her there for years.' Devon and Cornwall Police have stated that Ms Sites's death is not being treated as suspicious and that a file will be submitted to the coroner in due course. Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Jeanne Hellyer 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. My thoughts remain with Anouska's family and friends, who can now lay her to rest.'
Sky News
a day ago
- Sky News
'Devastated' boyfriend covered ex-partner's body with blanket and left her undiscovered on sofa for years
A "devastated" boyfriend who found his ex-partner dead on his sofa covered up her body with a blanket and left her undiscovered for years, a court heard. Jamie Stevens, who carried on living in the flat in Torquay, Devon, as the body of Anouska Sites remained in the lounge, has admitted she "deserved better", his lawyer said. The 51-year-old was jailed for 14 months at Exeter Crown Court after pleading guilty to charges of preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice. The second charge related to Stevens lying to police in a witness statement about his knowledge of the whereabouts of Ms Sites. Ms Sites' death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be submitted to the coroner in due course, Devon and Cornwall Police have said. The last known sighting of Ms Sites, who who would now be 36, was in May 2022 and her remains were not discovered until May 2025, Exeter Crown Court heard. Hollie Gilbery, prosecuting, told the court Ms Sites was reported missing to the police in April 2023. "Inquiries confirmed she had last been seen by police in May the previous year," she said. "Unfortunately, due to her vulnerabilities, including mental health problems and addictions, she had been in fairly regular contact with the police." Ms Gilbery said contact was made with Stevens as a former partner of Ms Sites in April this year, making inquiries about her whereabouts. "He told the police he had no contact with Ms Sites since February or March 2022," she said. Police spoke with Stevens again on 27 May and he told them he was no longer living at the flat in Upton Road. Officers later went round and gained entry. "The officers who attended described the flat as being like that of a hoarder with rubbish, faeces and bottled urine scattered throughout the property," Ms Gilbery said. "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." Stevens, of Reddenhill Road, Torquay, who was in a relationship with Ms Sites between 2011 and 2014, was arrested and told police it was her body. "He explained she had come to his flat around January 2023 asking if she could stay the night," the prosecutor said. "He went to his own bed and left her sleeping in the living room. "The next day he had gone out, returning at about 11.30pm, assuming that Ms Sites would have left, but instead he found her on the sofa. "He explained he threw a blanket over her body and continued to live in his bedroom and never really returned to the lounge." Paul Dentith, defending, described Stevens's actions in not reporting the death of Ms Sites as a "passive failure". "Until he signs the statement saying he hasn't seen Ms Sites for a number of years," he said. "That is the perverting the course of justice, which moves it to more than just passive non-reporting. "Perhaps obvious, but when one fails to report something so serious in the first day or so, it becomes rather self-perpetuating. "The fear of reporting it... even a week or so later." Mr Dentith said Stevens had told him: "Ms Sites was a lovely person, my partner, my friend, and I was devastated when she died, and I miss her terribly. She deserved better." Jailing Stevens for 14 months, Judge Anna 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. "It seems at some time between mid-2022 and April 2023 Miss Sites went missing. She was not reported missing until April this year. "There is no reason on the basis of the post-mortem to doubt your account of having found Miss Sites dead in your address.
