Daily Record NEWS
3 March 2006
EXCLUSIVE: MUM'S LAST SUPPER
FAMILY'S FAREWELL TO PENSIONER THEY KEPT IN FREEZER
By Lynn Davidson
THE son of a dead pensioner told last night why he and his father kept her in a freezer for 10 days.
Grieving Philip Irvine said: "We did it because we had not said goodbye to her."
Philip said his mum Veronica, 74, wanted to be preserved like Snow White, who was kept in a glass coffin after a poisoned apple sent her into an "eternal sleep".
Veronica Irvine
FINAL MEAL: Veronica Irvine
So her husband Desmond, 73, bought a chiller cabinet to place her in after her death.
Desmond kept the freezer at the family's second home in Berwick- Upon-Tweed.
And when former nurse Veronica died at home in Edinburgh, her husband and son dressed her in her best clothes, took pictures of her body, then took her on a 57-mile taxi journey to the border town. The taxi driver did not notice that he was carrying a dead woman down the A1.
After the family arrived in Berwick on the evening of February 15, Philip and Desmond staged a "last supper" for Veronica.
Philip said: "We set the dining table with the best china because she loved to cook and entertain.
"We sat her at the table, lit candles and said a prayer for her. It meant a lot to us.
"We powered up the freezer cabinet to get it to the right temperature and put her in it the next morning."
Veronica remained in the freezer until February 26, when police, acting on a tip-off from other family members, arrived at the Berwick house.
The cops took the body away, and it is now being kept at an Edinburgh mortuary. Desmond was arrested but released without charge.
Desmond, a World War II veteran, explained his actions by telling the Record: "I wanted to grieve properly, and you can't just leave someone lying about.
"My wife was a beautiful person. She was a dedicated nurse and everybody loved her."
Philip, 36, said it was Veronica's wish not to be buried or cremated.
He added: "Mum always said to me that she did not want to be placed in the cold earth.
"She said, 'I'd love to be preserved.' "She loved that fairytale Snow White - the concept of being kept.
"If you love someone enough you will do anything for them."
Philip nursed Veronica without a break for seven years after she suffered a stroke that left her severely disabled.
When she died, at about 1.05am on Valentine's Day, he and Desmond dressed her in her favourite outfit - an indigo blouse, white slacks and trainers.
They placed a necklace with a crucifix and a flower charm around her neck, and put a toy parrot in her arms.
Philip Irvine
GRIEVING: Philip Irvine
Philip, a keen photographer, used a camcorder to take still pictures of Veronica lying at rest. He said he wanted to preserve every memory of his mother.
Next day, the father and son called a cab to take Veronica to Berwick. They wrapped her up in a coat with a red hood, put sunglasses on her, and carried her down three flights of stairs to her taxi in her wheelchair.
Desmond and Philip kept Veronica in the chiller cabinet while they decided what to do next.
But when 10 days passed without any funeral details being published, one of their relatives contacted the police.
Officers found Desmond in the house with Veronica's chilled body. He was taken to a police station and questioned.
Desmond said: "I opened the door believing everything was in order, but they arrested me. I was taken 50 miles away in the car and detained for about nine hours.
"I told the police how the chiller cabinet worked to keep my wife safe."
He added: "We wanted to grieve with my wife so the rest of the family could come and say their prayers, but the police don't seem to understand that.
"I did not want to leave her at an undertaker's. I had to notify my relatives abroad - they couldn't just come at the drop of a hat."
Desmond and Philip are now battling to get Veronica's body back.
"I want her returned," said Desmond, "but the police toldme the only option was cremation or burial in Scotland. It's totally disrespectful."
Philip said it felt like "a double bereavement" when police took away his mum's body.
He added: "It looks sensational in the headlines - 'Wife's body in freezer' - but there's a human story behind that.
"Maybe it's unusual for someone to go to such lengths. But we have a strong family bond and wanted to keep everything within the family.
"We wanted a family-orientated funeral that wasn't done by strangers. A do-it-yourself funeral was the sort of thing we had in mind.
"But we needed to get everything prepared, so placing her in the freezer was the best way to keep her in a stable condition.
"The police have not respected my mother's wishes. They have been very insensitive - it's legalised bodysnatching.
"My father has been very anxious over this.
"He was arrested and taken away and they kept him in an unheated cell and he had to beg for them to put the heating on. "We have just been devastated. It's so unfair.
"It's hard to find strength to cope with what the police have done, and what with my mother passing it's almost too much at times.
"She would have been shocked if she had known this was going to happen to her.
"My mother always understood we would arrange things for her. She placed her trust in us."
Philip went on: "She was a fantastic mother who did everything for us. She loved to cook and to bake.
"She was as dedicated a person as you could ever hope to meet.
"When she was in hospital after her stroke, she wanted to get home as soon as possible.
"I had to learn all about her care.
"She could just about squeeze my hand and say some words. But we had an understanding more than direct communication - I could tell by her expression how she was feeling.
"It was a privilege to look after my mum. I have a lot of nice memories.
"The hospital gave us all the equipment she required. She was more or less in intensive care.
"They said it was unlikely that she would last more than six months - and yet she went on to last nearly seven years.
"She loved sitting up in the lounge every day watching Upstairs, Downstairs, and her favourite movie was Gone With The Wind. We also listened to Woman's Hour on the radio - it was one of the things that she loved.
"It is just terrible that she is not here any more - that they have taken her away from us."
Police have passed a report on the case to the Procurator Fiscal.
