Post-mortems on bodies found in freezer still not ready, court hears

The bodies of Mary Jane Mustafa, 38, from Canning Town, and Henriett Szucs, 34, a Hungarian who slept rough in Ilford, were discovered in a freezer inside a flat in Vandome Close in April.

Zahid Younis, who lived in the flat where the bodies were found, has been charged with two counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial of a dead body.

The 35-year old failed to appear for a second time for a hearing at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, October 25.

His Honour Judge Peter Lodder QC heard that an analysis from the UK's sole expert in bone examination, Professor David Mangham, has yet to be sent to the pathologist charged with preparing the post-mortem reports.

Duncan Penny, prosecuting, said he believed the pathologist has all the information necessary to complete the reports except for the findings resulting from Prof Mangham's work.

Judge Lodder requested that Prof Mangham's report should be made available by November 1 and the pathologist's final post-mortem reports be ready by November 15.

He said: "The production of those reports ought to be given [the pathologist's] utmost priority."

The post-mortem results could potentially result in the charges against Mr Younis changing.

Mr Penny said that from the Crown Prosecution Service's perspective a provisional trial date of April 14, 2020, at Kingston Crown Court "remained viable" even if the charges were to change.

"We will know where we're going in the early part of December. Were the decision to be to add additional charges, there is no reason why the Crown's case can't be served.

"I hope that will give the court some confidence an April trial will still be possible," Mr Perry said.

Mr Younis's custody limit was extended until January 31 next year, a decision Judge Lodder said would be reviewed in the last week of December.

"It is the proper course to take," Judge Lodder said.

The next hearing is on December 17 at Kingston Crown Court.