Defiled body family meet race police

Defiled body family meet race police

The hospital has described the incident as 'despicable'

The family of a Muslim woman, whose body was found desecrated in a hospital mortuary, are to meet the head of the Metropolitan Police's specialist race crimes unit.

The 65-year-old grandmother from west London died of cancer at Hillingdon Hospital on 17 January.

The following day when the family went to view the body in the mortuary they were told it had been found with rashers of bacon laid across it.

The hospital and police have offered a £5,000 reward for information.

But on Friday the family's solicitor Imran Khan told BBC London they had some concerns about the investigation.

"One concern they have is the police seem not to be able to establish what offence has been committed," he said.

The doctor had said that bacon had been placed on her deceased body. I felt almost physically sick

Family member

"So the family is going to meet the head of the race and violent crimes task force to see if they can increase the investigation or come out with any possible leads."

Police have questioned more than 40 staff and have been looking at hospital CCTV footage.

Family members were so upset they did not want to be identified, but did agree to talk to BBC London News.

"The doctor had said that bacon had been placed on her deceased body. I felt almost physically sick," one said.

"It was like a horrible nightmare. I thought I would wake up out of this. I felt emotionally raped."

'Extremely offensive'

It is strictly against the Muslim religion to eat or touch pork and Islamic organisations have expressed their horror.

Amir Ahmed of the Islamic Education and Cultural Society in Hayes said: "It's absolutely horrific. The family are obviously devastated.

"It does not really matter that this was a Muslim. For a corpse to be violated in this way is extremely offensive to anyone, though obviously this is particularly sensitive for Muslims.

"We have worked very hard within the community and with the police to establish very good public relations and this has set us back years".

In a statement the hospital chief executive David McVittie said: "I am extremely sorry for the distress that the family of the lady concerned suffered as a result of this despicable incident and for any distress it has caused to the Muslim community.

"I am shocked and outraged that such a thing has happened and will not rest until we have found the perpetrator of this crime."

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Hester of Hillingdon police said: "This is a particularly grotesque act which has outraged the family as well as the whole community".