Police file on burial blunder to go to CPS

Grace Kamara, 77, was buried in the grave of Christopher Alder, 37, in 2000, a blunder that was only discovered in 2011 when her relatives asked to dress her body before her funeral – which had been delayed for more than a decade because of problems gaining a visa for a relative – and were told it could not be found.

The body of Mr Alder, a former paratrooper who died in police custody in 1998, was then discovered in a mortuary at Hull Royal Infirmary. His grave in Hull’s Northern Cemetery was exhumed and tests confirmed Mrs Kamara had been buried in his place.

A criminal inquiry into the affair being led by South Yorkshire Police is close to completion and it is thought officers could present their findings to the Crown Prosecution Service within a fortnight.

It is not clear what charges may be considered, but potential witnesses have been interviewed under caution on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.

Mr Alder’s sister Janet, who has been campaigning for justice for her brother for nearly 15 years, said she did not have high hopes that anyone would be held accountable but would be happy to be proved wrong.

“Myself and Christine (Omoregie, Mrs Kamara’s close friend) really don’t believe anything is going to come out of this. In the past I had every confidence there would be a successful prosecution, but past experience has taught me that the longer an investigation goes on the less likely there is going to be a positive outcome.

“It’s taken them over a year to find out what’s happened. If I’m proven wrong I won’t mind and I’ll apologise, but I think it’s just one of those exercises where it’s made to look like something’s being done and an awful lot of money has been spent on it, and it would be terrible if nothing came out of it, and Christine thinks exactly the same.”

Miss Alder and Mrs Omoregie have both launched separate legal proceedings with a view to pursing civil cases against the organisations involved in the blunder.