Police find 'no evidence of offence' following Queensland funeral home coffin swap claims
A Queensland funeral home accused of swapping a grandmother's expensive coffin for a cheap pine box will not face criminal charges after it claimed the woman's body was only temporarily placed in a "transport shell" prior to cremation.
Janice Cecilia Valigura, 74, was farewelled in Rockhampton on Monday last week, after suffering a stroke on New Year's Eve.
But immediately following her funeral, her family says she was removed from her $1700 casket, wrapped in plastic and placed in a cheap pine box prior to her cremation.
Police investigating the alleged fraudulent activity raided Harts Family Funerals last Thursday and made "extensive inquiries".
Queensland Police on Wednesday announced an investigation into the Central Queensland business found "no evidence to substantiate a criminal offence".
No further action would be taken and the relevant parties had been informed of the decision, police said.
Owner Tony Hart on Wednesday said the cheap "transport shell" had only been used to prevent the lacquer on Ms Valigura's coffin from cracking in the shift from 32-degree heat to a 4-degree cold room prior to the cremation.
He said a staff member had then mistakenly taken the body in the transfer shell to the crematorium, due to the similar cloth covers on both.
"Harts Family Funerals realised this mistake, immediately took responsibility and acted quickly to rectify it, with Mrs Valigura being cremated the same day in her original coffin," a statement from Harts Family Funeral read.
"The family was advised of the mistake and witnessed the cremation of Mrs Valigura in her original coffin."
Funeral home owner Tony Hart denied the coffin swapping claims.
Funeral director explains why coffin was swapped for cheap box before cremation
Funeral home raided following accusations it switched grandmother into $70 pine box
"We have never and will never participate in a practice known as coffin swapping," he said on Wednesday.
"In future, we will never take another body out of a coffin before cremation for any reason, to ensure this never happens again on our watch."
He thanked his staff and the community for their continued support through this "ordeal" and added he would like to add their voice to calls for tighter regulation of the funeral industry.
"This week we have made a $3000 contribution to our industry association, the Independent Funeral Directors Association of Australia, to take the first steps towards making that regulation a reality," he said.
Last week Janice Cecilia Valigura's family told the Rockhampton newspaper her body was removed from her casket, wrapped in plastic and placed in a cheap box prior to her cremation.
"We apologise profusely for any distress that this has caused the family, for only our intention was to care for the Valigura family and respect their wishes," Mr Hart said.
