A 62-year-old man has been jailed for 16 months after sexually abusing the body of a woman who had recently died from cancer at her home in North Lincolnshire.

Stephen Sellars, of Hibaldstow, was caught by the woman’s son and nephew after being left alone with her body for around 15 minutes.

Sellars pleaded guilty to sexual penetration of a corpse and was sentenced at Hull Crown Court on Friday.

Family discovered the offence

The court heard the woman had died at home after being diagnosed with cancer eight weeks earlier.

Prosecutor Rachel Scott described her as a “very proud woman”, explaining that her family had made every effort to preserve her dignity throughout her illness.

Sellars had been left alone at the property for approximately 15 minutes. When the woman’s son and nephew returned, they discovered him committing the offence.

He subsequently dressed and fled the property.

The prosecution said there was evidence of planning, including Sellars bolting a gate, locking a door and closing curtains before carrying out the act.

In text messages to the woman’s son, Sellars claimed he had been intoxicated and said he did not know what had come over him.

He initially denied the offence during a police interview but later pleaded guilty.

Family left devastated by betrayal

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman’s son described the incident as “unimaginable” and said it had had a “massive impact” on his life.

He told the court that nothing could justify what had happened.

Judge John Thackray KC described the offence as a “clearly planned attack” and acknowledged the devastating emotional consequences for the family.

The court heard the woman’s son had been left feeling “numb and betrayed” and did not believe he would ever fully recover from the experience.

Prosecutors highlighted several aggravating factors, including the significant abuse of trust, the fact the offence took place in the woman’s own home and the circumstances in which her relatives discovered what had happened.

Judge explains sentencing restrictions

During sentencing, Judge Thackray explained that the offence took place shortly before a change in legislation increased the maximum available prison sentence to seven years.

Under the law applicable at the time of the offence, the maximum sentence was two years.

The judge said this restricted the punishment he could impose. The sentence was also reduced to reflect Sellars’ guilty plea.

The defence told the court that Sellars, a former lorry driver, had not committed an offence since 1988 and had no previous sexual convictions.

His barrister, Ben Donnell, asked the judge to consider suspending the prison sentence, although he acknowledged this was a difficult request.

Sellars was jailed for 16 months.

He was also made subject to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order protecting the woman’s son and nephew.