Navy

Man Jailed For Hiding Body Of Navy Veteran And Taking His Money

A man has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after he hid the body of a Royal Navy veteran so he could use his flat to grow cannabis.

40-year-old Paul Jackson dumped the remains of Nicolas Clark under debris behind a former gym in Patchway.

The 63-year-old’s body was found wrapped in a tarpaulin when the yard was being cleared, officers found Jackson had taken money from his account after he had died.

Jackson admitted charges of preventing lawful burial, theft and allowing the production of cannabis before he was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court.

Paul Jackson. Courtesy: Avon And Somerset Police

The family of Mr Clarke said:

“It’s devastating to know that Nick’s body was treated with such crudeness.

“The lack of respect shown by the perpetrators, by setting up a cannabis factory in his personal home while depriving his family of his personal and financial effects, is beyond comprehension.”

"He was a man who served his country in the Royal Navy and he was a man who should have left his time on Earth with dignity."

“Nick was a lonely man who relied on the support of his neighbours and friends.”

Nick Clark was a former helicopter engineer with the Royal Navy.

He served between 1967 to 1981.

Senior Investigating Officer DCI Mike Williams said:

“He deserved respect for loyally serving his country but after he died from natural causes, his so-called friend and neighbour Paul Jackson treated his body like a piece of rubbish.”

“Jackson moved Nick’s body and concealed it under piles of debris behind a disused gym and flat rented by his friend Anthony Whillier – who’d also been using this flat to grow cannabis.

“We aren’t able to say exactly when Nick died, but we do know he was last seen at hospital in February after undergoing an operation. Because he wasn’t reported as missing, it’s very likely his remains would have remained undetected if the yard hadn’t been cleared.”

30-year-old Anthony Whillier was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence after admitting cannabis production, as well as 240 hours of unpaid work.

Cover Image: Nick Clark on board HMS Blake in the 70s. Courtesy: Avon And Somerset Police