Body lay under sofa for 10 years in shared flat

A body lay undiscovered under a sofa in a sheltered flat in Bristol for nearly 10 years, an inquest has heard. The dead man, Denis Pring, 73, had been living with city council tenant Alan Derrick, who has learning difficulties. The inquest heard Mr Derrick did not want to tell the authorities that Mr Pring had died because he was worried he would be evicted.

The coroner recorded an open verdict into Mr Pring's death at the hearing in Flax Bourton, near Bristol. Mr Pring is believed to have died at some point between April and June 1998. The inquest heard that he had been living in the flat unofficially.



Mr Derrick, the dead man's friend and drinking partner, had invited him to stay there because he had nowhere else to go. But when he died suddenly, Mr Derrick panicked and worried that he might be evicted. A year after the death, a mobile council warden was called to inspect the flat after complaints of a terrible smell.

Sandra Wedlock told the court that she had walked by an overturned sofa at the property in the Bedminster area of the city without noticing the body underneath it. She put the source of the smell that neighbours had complained about down to an overflowing toilet and no further action was taken by the council. Mr Pring's skeleton was finally discovered by council cleaning staff in 2008 after Mr Derrick moved out of the property. Mr Derrick, who was described by neighbours as 'a vulnerable loner', is believed to be living elsewhere in the area. No criminal charges were brought against him.