Funeral will finally be held

An illegal immigrant's body will finally be cremated next week after a 13-month wrangle. Huang Yi Ru hanged himself at the Crystal Chinese restaurant in Lichfield in July 2006 but his body has lain in Cannock mortuary since.

It has taken this long for a decision to be made about how to dispose of it.

Officials at the coroner's court have had to check the body every week after Chinese officials refused to pay for it to be sent back home and the British government said it wouldn't pay either.

Now Lichfield District Council has arranged to have Mr Yi Ru's body cremated after a short service next week which will be paid for by taxpayers.

A spokesman for the council confirmed the council was arranging the cremation for the end of next week as the council had a duty to dispose of bodies under the Public Health Act.

Waites Funeral Directors, of Bird Street, in Lichfield, will be carrying out the cremation on behalf of the council and is trying to arrange to send the ashes back to Mr Yi Ru's relatives in China.

Cannock Coroner Andrew Haigh, who oversaw the inquest into Mr Yi Ru's death said he could not see an end to the row.

Mr Huang Yi Ru's body now holds the unfortunate record of spending the longest time in the Cannock mortuary and it is likely to be there for another week.

During the inquest Mr Haigh heard Huang Yi Ru was a "solitary" man. He recorded a verdict of suicide.