Michael Collins has won High Court control to bury his mother Laura Collins after two siblings left her body in a mortuary for four years.
The ruling by Chief Master Karen Shuman in London ended a bitter family dispute over the 77-year-old grandmother, whose unburied body has been stored in an undertaker's metal drawer at a cost of £20 a day since July 2022.
Chief Master Shuman blamed the two eldest siblings, Joan Collins, 59, and Godfrey Collins, 57, for what she termed an appalling delay. She ordered them to pay £53,322 in legal costs and £5,500 in storage fees while stripping them of authority over the estate.
"There must be one person in charge to allow the family to come together as far as possible," Chief Master Shuman said in her judgment. "The deceased can be laid to rest with dignity. That is what ordinary humanity now demands."
The judge awarded all control of funeral arrangements and the estate to 48-year-old Michael Collins, of Peterborough, who spent tens of thousands of pounds taking his elder brother and sister to court.
High Court battle over unburied body
Laura Collins died on July 29, 2022, at Charing Cross Hospital in London, six months after contracting Covid in January of that year. Following her death, her body was kept in mortuary storage while her eldest children repeatedly delayed funeral plans.
Joan and Godfrey Collins initially told their younger siblings they were managing the arrangements. However, weeks turned into months and years without progress, during which time the UK saw the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the tenure of four prime ministers.
The elder siblings raised various proposals, including repatriating the body to Laura's native Caribbean island of Carriacou, and debated bringing a negligence lawsuit against the hospital. They also refused to discuss specific service locations or dates with the rest of the family.
Relations deteriorated further as Joan and Godfrey blocked access to the body and moved it to two different undertakers without informing their younger siblings, Cheryl, 54, Michael, 48, and Clint, 46.
Michael Collins said he had to act like a detective to locate his mother's body after it was secretly transferred to an undertaker facility in Leyton, east London. He also discovered over a year after her death that relatives in Carriacou and Grenada had never been informed of her passing.
Family dispute and legal proceedings
Efforts to resolve the matter through public authorities proved unsuccessful. Hammersmith and Fulham local authority contacted the family two and a half years after Laura's death to inquire why her body had not been registered, but advised that the siblings must settle the dispute among themselves.
After consulting police, who confirmed that failing to bury a body was not a criminal offense, Michael Collins was advised to pursue civil legal action. In February, he issued formal proceedings through solicitor Sharon Macaulay of Taylor Rose solicitors in Peterborough.
The conflict involved substantial financial assets. Laura Collins died intestate, leaving an estate that includes a £725,000 family home in West Kensington, west London. Joan Collins had lived in the property all her life, caring for her mother in her final years.
Godfrey Collins had lived with the siblings' father, Irvin Collins, in south London following his divorce from Laura in the 1980s until his death in 2015. The younger siblings contended that Joan and Godfrey were letting grief and resentment override their mother's wishes.
"We wanted a funeral, the chance to honour our mother, to say goodbye and to grieve," Michael Collins said, contrasting his position with his elder siblings' desire for conflict against the hospital.
Life of Laura Collins
Laura Collins moved to the UK from Carriacou at age 21 for an arranged marriage that ended in divorce after a few years. She raised five children in London while working up to three jobs simultaneously, primarily in cleaning roles, while facing significant social prejudice.
Known for her cooking, gardening, and extensive vinyl record collection spanning reggae, jazz, classical, and rap music, she frequently hosted large family gatherings at her West Kensington home. Michael and Clint Collins lived at the family residence until ages 32 and 31 respectively.
In her early 70s, Laura developed mobility issues related to diabetes and high blood pressure, leading her to spend more time at home. Her son recalled that she had expressed clear wishes for a traditional funeral with music and family present.
Her final illness began when she was admitted to intensive care at Charing Cross Hospital in January 2022. Due to pandemic social distancing rules, family members were initially restricted from visiting her in person.
Medical staff later informed the family that Laura had suffered irreversible brain damage, raising questions over whether a ventilator tube had become dislodged. When doctors recommended withdrawing life support, Michael, Clint, and Cheryl agreed, but Joan and Godfrey objected.
The dispute required an earlier court ruling, which directed that life support be withdrawn following a two-week tapering period. Laura breathed independently for 24 hours before passing away at 7:00 AM on July 29, 2022.
Funeral arrangements and next steps
Following the High Court decision, arrangements are underway to transfer Laura Collins's body from the mortuary in Leyton for a funeral service and burial in west London.
Michael Collins confirmed that friends and extended family have been notified of the upcoming service. Space has been reserved in the order of service for all five siblings to speak during the ceremony.
He noted that financial distribution of the estate remains distant, as liquidating assets would require Joan Collins to vacate the West Kensington home. However, he emphasized that obtaining court authority to bury his mother was the primary objective of the legal action.
"It's not about the money. It's about doing the right thing by our mum and her wishes," Michael Collins said, adding that his mother is finally being laid to rest.
