An inquest heard that a daughter kept her father’s dead corpse propped up in his favorite chair for days before performing an unauthorized “Stone Age” funeral for him in secret after he refused contemporary medical care.
Eirys Brett, 32, continued in the ‘especially unusual’ off-grid lifestyle of his 78-year-old father Donald, and when he became unwell, he suggested holistic remedies rather than seeking NHS care.
According to the inquiry, Mr. Brett passed away after being left in his favorite chair next to a woodburner for a number of days while his daughter and her companion dug a 6 foot-long improvised burial in the woods.
He was laid to rest wearing a red t-shirt, Harlequin chef pants, and a red and turquoise bobble cap. In addition to paintbrushes, flowers, and a poem in the grave, his corpse was covered in a Hessian cotton blanket with rope wounds in a cross design.
They had a ritual, according to the investigating officer, Det Con Alex Stuart. It was a burial like that of the Stone or Bronze Age, and he wasn’t just tossed in. After that, they covered the pit.
The inquest heard that when Mr. Brett began experiencing stomach discomfort at home in the weeks leading up to his passing, he messaged his daughter to say: “Maybe I should seek NHS care.”
He was encouraged not to see a doctor by Eirys and her companion Mark Watson, 47, and to take complementary medications instead.
He came to stay at their house so they could assist him, but shortly after arriving, he got “very sick” and passed away.
According to the inquiry, Mr. Brett wanted to be buried at his house, so in June 2019, the couple drove his corpse to his cottage in their red Vauxhall Corsa.
DC Before excavating Mr. Brett’s grave 100 meters from the home he had resided in for more than 25 years in Aberedw, near Builth Wells, Powys, Stuart said they had placed him in his favorite chair.
“They began to excavate around a 6 foot burial place,” he stated. It wasn’t very broad. While Mr. Brett was at home, they worked on it for a few days.
The inquest heard that when Mr. Brett went missing from his isolated stone home in Aberedw, close to Builth Wells, Powys, for many weeks, his landlord raised the alarm.
Before Eirys and Mr. Watson were stopped by police in the vehicle they had used to transfer Mr. Brett’s corpse, a search was conducted.
After being questioned by authorities in August 2019, the pair finally admitted to conducting an unauthorized funeral without reporting the deceased.
DC They both essentially located his grave in the same location, according to Stuart.
It was a complete and honest acknowledgment from the beginning. They both openly admitted that he was wrongfully interred.
At the inquiry, it was revealed that Mr. Brett depended on his daughter for medical advice when he got ill, according to phone records.
According to Eirys, she had recommended her father to seek alternative therapies since she thought he was dealing with prostate cancer.
Although Mr. Brett had a “very unusual” lifestyle, the inquest heard that he was capable of making judgments and was not under any duress.
Friends said Mr. Brett would only seek medical attention at his cabin without power if it was “really essential.”
His ex-girlfriend Alison Walker informed authorities that he had “anti-establishment” sentiments and that her daughter Eirys shared same views.
When Ms. Walker last saw her ex alive, he told her, “Aren’t I happy our daughter is taking care of me,” in June of 2019.
Mr. Brett was reported dead that month, but his corpse wasn’t found until two months later, according to the inquest in Pontypridd, South Wales.
Police accused Eirys and Mr. Watson of St Harmon, near Rhayader, Powys, with impeding a proper burial; they eventually entered a guilty plea.
In July of this year, they received four-month suspended sentences at Merthyr Crown Court.
They were informed by Judge Recorder Gregg Bull QC: “You buried him with the utmost tenderness.” This wasn’t a hastily performed nighttime burial in an unethical manner.
“You decided to conduct what can only be regarded as a pagan funeral as his last rites.”
“Everyone has the right to their own views; please don’t criticize mine.” However, you need to have approached the situation differently.
The cause of death was listed as “indeterminate” during the inquest on Wednesday, according to the evidence presented, although there was no indication that anything other than a natural death had occurred.
Patricia Morgan, an assistant coroner, noted an open verdict.
There is no proof that his death was suspicious, she said.