Murderer jailed after hiding body for weeks

A man has been jailed for life for the murder of a man whose body was not discovered for up to a month, police said.

Jason Trundle was told he would serve at least 19 years in prison at Worcester Crown Court on Friday after being found guilty by a jury of Leon Pratt's murder in October 2024.

Trundle, 52, was living with Pratt at his home in Telford, Shropshire, as an "unofficial carer" after the pair met online and Trundle told his victim he was homeless.

Judge James Burbidge said Trundle had killed the 64-year-old in an "explosion of violence" and had not shown any remorse.

Warning: Some readers may find details of the case within this report distressing

He said Trundle had refused to come to court for his sentencing and was listening via a link.

During sentencing, the defendant could be seen sat casually, with his foot resting on his knee, occasionally writing notes.

"I thank the council, the police and the paramedics that engaged in such a traumatic investigation," Burbidge said.

Pratt's decomposing body had been found "infested with maggots and flies" when the ambulance service was called on 26 October by worried neighbours, the court heard.

Trundle had covered the body with a blanket and continued to live in the house.

He told paramedics at the time that Pratt had been dead 12 days, but following sentencing, West Mercia Police said it could have been as long as 30 days.

Due to the level of decomposition, the force said the injuries were not initially clear and the cause of death could not be immediately determined.

However, they said a post-mortem examination later revealed Pratt had suffered significant injuries to his back, ribs and neck.

The court heard previously his broken ribs would have been caused by a force equivalent to falling from a standing height on to a hard surface.

Seven fractures to part of his neck, however, were "most probably caused by manual strangulation".

It was also found that since his death, Trundle had used Pratt's bank card on several occasions at local stores to buy alcohol, food and tobacco.

Trundle had admitted preventing a lawful burial and fraud by false representation.

At the start of his trial, he had also pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but this was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service.

He had moved in with Pratt after the pair met online and spoke on social media for nine months.

He told his victim he was homeless, after falling out with his brother and mother.

Pratt had several physical health conditions and used a wheelchair and walking sticks.

Burbidge told the court that neighbours in the close-knit community of Downemead in Hollinswood, Telford, were at first suspicious of Trundle, but soon saw how the relationship worked.

Pratt offered Trundle a role as his "unofficial carer", in return for free accommodation and food.

The pair were said to have got on for the most part and lived together for about a year and a half until Pratt was killed.

The court heard previously that, in the week before the body was discovered, Trundle told neighbours Pratt had not been in a good place mentally and had threatened to hit his pet dog with his walking stick.

He had "gone a bit crazy" and "proper lost it" on medication which led to the defendant putting the victim in a headlock, he claimed.

During sentencing, the court heard how both were attached to a pet dog, Jess.

Neighbours became concerned for Pratt, who was described by them as an "intelligent, kind person", who only became down when his physical ailments were playing up.

They called the emergency services who found Pratt's body on the 26 October 2024.

The paramedics' footage shows Trundle pointing to a closed bedroom door and saying: "He's been dead for about 12 days."

He refused to answer any further questions other than to say he had found him dead on the bed, adding: "And no, before you ask, I didn't kill him."

Asked why he did not tell anyone Pratt had died, he told paramedics: "I've got nowhere else to go."

Trundle's barristers told the court the murder was "unplanned and unforeseen and the lack of a plan on what to do with the body shows a lack of premeditated murder".

"He made no effort to dispose of the body, he was unable to do anything and buried his head in the sand," they added.

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