A man who covered his ex-girlfriend’s dead body with a blanket and left her on his sofa for more than two years has been jailed.
Jamie Stevens, 51, carried on living in his flat in Torquay, Devon, after he found Anouska Sites dead in his lounge.
Exeter Crown Court heard that the last known sighting of Ms Sites was in May 2022 and her remains were not discovered until May this year.
Stevens previously appeared at the court on July 15 when he plead guilty to preventing the lawful burial of a dead body.
He also admitted committing a series of actions with intent to pervert the course of justice, according to Devon and Cornwall police.
Stevens was remanded in custody and appeared at court today – where he was sentenced by HHJ Judge Richardson to 14 months in prison.
Anouska, who would now be 36, was reported missing to police in April 2023.
Officers carried out initial enquiries which confirmed the last known sighting of her was on May 21, 2022.
Jamie Stevens, 51, (pictured) carried on living in his flat in Torquay, Devon, after he found Anouska Sites dead in his lounge
The investigations led officers to speak to Stevens, her former partner, and he signed a witness statement saying he had not seen Ms Sites since February or March 2022.
Officers then visited the flat on Upton Road – the last known address of both Stevens and Anouska – but there was no reply on a number of occasions.
Officers spoke to Stevens again, and he told them he had recently moved out of the property.
But detectives gained entry to the flat on May 27 this year when they found the body of a woman, which has since been confirmed to be Ms Sites.
Stevens was subsequently arrested and in an interview told officers that around January 2023, Anouska went to stay with him for the night in the Upton Road flat.
Police state he went out the following day and when he returned, he found her deceased. He covered her body with a blanket and left her in place.
Stevens allegedly told officers that he knew what he should have done and that looking back, he doesn’t know why he didn’t call the emergency services.
He admitted that he knew the explanation didn’t ‘sound right’. He also admitted he had made a false statement to police regarding when they had last had contact.
Hollie Gilbery, prosecuting, told the court: ‘The officers who attended described the flat as being like that of a hoarder with rubbish, faeces and bottled urine scattered throughout the property.
Exeter Crown Court (pictured) heard that the last known sighting of Ms Sites was in May 2022 and her remains were not discovered until May this year
‘Police started to search the flat, and upon lifting a blanket in the living area they discovered a skeletal arm and hand.
‘Officers did notice there were various fragranced items scattered around the lounge, inferring they must have been to mask any smells.’
Stevens, who was in a relationship with Ms Sites between 2011 and 2014, was arrested and told police it was her body.
‘He explained she had come to his flat around January 2023 asking if she could stay the night,’ the prosecutor said.
‘He went to his own bed and left her sleeping in the living room.
‘The next day he had gone out, returning at about 11.30pm, assuming that Ms Sites would have left, but instead he found her on the sofa.
‘He explained he threw a blanket over her body and continued to live in his bedroom and never really returned to the lounge.’
Jailing Stevens for 14 months, Judge Anna Richardson said: ‘This is an absolutely tragic case.
‘You were in a relationship with Anouska Sites. Ms Sites had a number of difficulties, including substance misuse.
‘It seems at some time between mid-2022 and April 2023 Miss Sites went missing. She was not reported missing until April this year.
‘There is no reason on the basis of the post-mortem to doubt your account of having found Miss Sites dead in your address.
‘It seems you completely wrongly panicked and simply covered her body. You left her there for years.’
Devon and Cornwall Police have stated that Ms Sites’s death is not being treated as suspicious and that a file will be submitted to the coroner in due course.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Jeanne Hellyer said: ‘I welcome the sentence handed down by the court today in what is a very sad and tragic case.
‘Anouska was denied the dignity and right of a lawful burial on her death by Stevens. My thoughts remain with Anouska’s family and friends, who can now lay her to rest.’
