Court acquits undertaker that had the wrong man cremated
A court in Antwerp has acquitted an undertaker accused of forgery. The forgery charges were brought after the undertaker had the remains of the wrong person cremated. The unfortunate incident happened 5 years ago. The family of person that was cremated by mistake suspected the undertaker of having committed forgery to cover his tracks. The Judge at the trial ruled that the allegations had not been proven and the Public Prosecutor’s Office had requested that the undertaker be acquitted.
Just over five years ago the undertaker had a man cremated. Prior to his death the man had stipulated that he wanted his body to be buried and not cremated. It later transpired that the man’s coffin had been switched with that of another client and that he had been cremated against his wishes.
By way of an apology, the undertaker paid for the costs of the cremation and for the man’s funeral wake. However, just over a year and a half after the incident the dead man’s family lodged a complaint against the undertaker.
The family believed that the undertaker had committed forgery to cover up his mistake. The Judge at the trial in Antwerp ruled that this allegation was not proven and the Public Prosecutor’s Office asked the court to acquit the man. The court heeded this request.