Man Jailed for Keeping Friend's Body in Freezer for Two Years

Damion Johnson, sentenced for preventing a lawful burial and committing fraud, was 'overcome with grief' after his friend's death.

Damion Johnson, 53, has been sentenced to two years in prison for preventing the lawful and decent burial of his friend John Wainwright's body, which he kept in a freezer for two years.
Johnson and Wainwright, 71, had a 'strong friendship' and lived together in a flat in Birmingham, where Johnson was Wainwright's registered carer.
Wainwright died in September 2018, but his body was not discovered until August 2020 in a freezer at a skip company's premises.
Johnson also admitted to three counts of fraud, having used Wainwright's bank account after his death, withdrawing cash and buying goods worth £17,000 and making 11 transfers to his own account worth an additional £2,475.
A post-mortem examination of Wainwright's body noted signs of blunt force trauma, but could not confirm or exclude natural disease as a cause or contributor to death.