Man sentenced for putting father's body in fridge

A man who placed his dead father in a refrigerator has been given a three-year sentence.

John Garrett O'Sullivan, from Culmore Road in Londonderry, admitted a charge of preventing the lawful burial of his father between 1 and 18 July 2024.

The body of 86-year old Noel O' Sullivan, a retired orthodontist and father-of-three, was found wrapped in a duvet and plastic sheets at the family home.

On Tuesday the judge at Londonderry Crown Court told 56-year-old John O'Sullivan he had caused misery to his family.

She handed down a three-year sentence, with half to be spent in custody and half on licence.

Warning: This court report contains details which some readers may find very distressing.

After Noel O'Sullivan died, his head was placed into a fridge and his body was surrounded by the open door of a second fridge.

There was a large nappy on his head and hands and he had a wet wipe type cloth inserted in his mouth.

His body had been lying there for some time.

Police said there was an odour when they forced entry to the house after they received a "concern for safety" call from the victim's daughter.

John O'Sullivan, who has a PhD in engineering, told police he did not call a doctor as his father was already dead and placed his body in a fridge as that was what they did at Altnagelvin Hospital.

He also said he did not call anyone after his father had died as he wanted to preserve his privacy and dignity.

The court was told he had given "no comment" responses to all police interviews.

He had no criminal record and was assessed as a medium risk of further offending.

The prosecution said there were several aggravating features, including the purchase of plastic sheets and bed mats and the fact John O'Sullivan had failed to alert police or others about his father's death and the location of his body.

A prosecutor said he also asked the local health service what to do when there was a sudden death but ignored the advice given to him.

The defence said John O'Sullivan believed he had delayed the lawful burial of his father, rather than preventing it.

A defence solicitor said it was a sad and distressing case, but argued that it was not a case of the deliberate attempt to obstruct justice.

He said that the defendant was continuing to engage with the community mental health team.

In a statement to police, the defendant said he absolutely denied any wrongdoing or mistreatment of his father.

The judge said it was a tragedy for the O'Sullivan family.

She said John O'Sullivan had been responsible for the indignity and degradation his father endured and he had caused misery for the family.

The court heard details of the defendant's mental health issues, including a nervous breakdown in the 1990s.

He slept in the family garage and had a difficult relationship with his father.

The judge said it was clear Noel O'Sullivan had had a miserable last few days of his life.

She said the defendant had failed to call the emergency services or alert police about his death or disclose the location of his body.

The judge said that he had a distorted view on how to preserve his father's dignity.

She also said that he had opted to withhold access to his GP notes and recent psychiatric reports.

She added that he had caused considerable harm to surviving family members and said he was not to approach any of them without by prior approval.