Body exhumed after it was buried in wrong grave by mistake

Sunday 20 September 2020

A body had to be exhumed after it was buried in the wrong grave at Le Foulon Cemetery.

Mark Ogier, Head of Estates Strategy for Property Services, said the mistake emerged during the course of the deceased's funeral.

"During a recent funeral it became clear that the wrong grave was being used," he said. "The coffin had been placed in the grave by this point, which meant by law an exhumation order would be required from the Royal Court.

"The law also requires that the coffin must covered by dusk on the same day, so it was duly covered over with soil."

Pictured: The mistake became clear during the deceased's funeral.

An exhumation order was granted by the Royal Court on 14 September and the coffin was relocated to the correct grave that same afternoon.

Mr Ogier expressed his deepest sympathies and apologies to the deceased's family and friends. 

"Throughout the process of trying to correct the error, we have remained in contact with the deceased’s spouse and offered our sincerest apologies.

"We are very grateful for the grace and understanding the deceased’s spouse has shown during what is already a particularly challenging time for them. I would like to thank them for their patience while we worked to resolve this and again apologise for what happened."

Pictured: The deceased's body was buried in the wrong plot at Le Foulon Cemetery.