Jamie Stevens, 51, continued living inside the property where his ex-partner Anouska Sites lay dead in the lounge covered with a blanket – and was only discovered by police three years later
A man who found his ex-partner dead on his sofa covered her body with a blanket and left her there for years, a court heard.
Jamie Stevens, 51, continued living in the Torquay flat while the body of Anouska Sites remained in the lounge. Exeter Crown Court heard Ms Sites was last seen in May 2022, but her remains were not found until May 2025. Prosecutor Hollie Gilbery said Ms Sites was reported missing in April 2023.
“Inquiries confirmed she had last been seen by police in May the previous year,” she said. “Unfortunately, due to her vulnerabilities, including mental health problems and addictions, she had been in fairly regular contact with the police.” In April 2025, police contacted Stevens, a former partner of Ms Sites, to ask about her whereabouts. It comes after an evil dad killed his daughter, 5, for wetting herself and carried her body parts around for months.
Boy, 5, murdered by kidnappers because his mum couldn’t pay £39 ransom Man dead and 9 more rushed to hospital after eating broccoli sandwich amid urgent recall
“He told the police he had no contact with Ms Sites since February or March 2022,” Ms Gilbery said. In May 27, police spoke with Stevens again, and he said he was no longer living at the Upton Road flat. Officers entered the property.
“The officers who attended described the flat as being like that of a hoarder with rubbish, faeces and bottled urine scattered throughout the property,” Ms Gilbery told the court. During their search of the Devon flat, police lifted a blanket in the living area and found a skeletal arm and hand. Officers also noted various fragranced items in the lounge, suggesting they had been used to mask any smell. Stevens, who dated Ms Sites from 2011 to 2014, was arrested and confirmed the remains were hers.
“He explained she had come to his flat around January 2023 asking if she could stay the night,” the prosecutor said. “He went to his own bed and left her sleeping in the living room. The next day he had gone out, returning at about 11.30pm, assuming that Ms Sites would have left, but instead he found her on the sofa. He explained he threw a blanket over her body and continued to live in his bedroom and never really returned to the lounge.”
Stevens, of Reddenhill Road, Torquay, had previously pleaded guilty to charges of preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice. The second charge related to Stevens lying to police in a witness statement about his knowledge of the whereabouts of Ms Sites. Paul Dentith, defending, described Stevens’s actions in not reporting the death of Ms Sites as a “passive failure”.
“Until he signs the statement saying he hasn’t seen Ms Sites for a number of years,” he said. “That is the perverting the course of justice, which moves it to more than just passive non-reporting. Perhaps obvious, but when one fails to report something so serious in the first day or so, it becomes rather self-perpetuating. The fear of reporting it… even a week or so later.”
Mr Dentith said Stevens had told him: “Ms Sites was a lovely person, my partner, my friend, and I was devastated when she died, and I miss her terribly. She deserved better.” Jailing Stevens for 14 months, Judge Anna Richardson said: “This is an absolutely tragic case.You were in a relationship with Anouska Sites. Ms Sites had a number of difficulties, including substance misuse.
“It seems at some time between mid-2022 and April 2023 Miss Sites went missing. She was not reported missing until April this year. There is no reason on the basis of the post-mortem to doubt your account of having found Miss Sites dead in your address. It seems you completely wrongly panicked and simply covered her body. You left her there for years.”
Ms Site’s death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be submitted to the coroner in due course. Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Jeanne Hellyer said: “I welcome the sentence handed down by the court today in what is a very sad and tragic case.
“Anouska was denied the dignity and right of a lawful burial on her death by Stevens. My thoughts remain with Anouska’s family and friends, who can now lay her to rest.”
