Man who hid body of arson attack suspect in bin jailed

A man who hid the body of an arson attack suspect in a bin in Liverpool has been jailed.

Steven Wales, 61, was jailed for two years and four months at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday after he admitted hiding the body of Paul Smith in a wheelie bin.

The court heard he found Mr Smith's body in his bath and moved it into the bin, which he hid behind nearby derelict houses.

Sentencing him, Judge Neil Flewitt said: "Although the cause of his death has been established as mixed drug toxicity, the precise circumstances of his death are uncertain.

"The information available to me is entirely dependent on your account which, I have to say, raises as many questions as it answers, not least how a 61-year-old man with COPD was able to move that body from the bath and flat into a wheelie bin."

Chris Hopkins, prosecuting, said Mr Smith was a "working, family man" and father of five, but developed a Class A drug dependency in late 2024 and had been living a "chaotic lifestyle".

The 40-year-old's remains were discovered in the bin in Everton on 22 July last year, seven days after he is believed to have started a fire at the home of Sheila Jackson, 83, and her partner Eric Greener, 77, in St Helens, Merseyside.

The pensioners were rescued from the fire but died later in hospital from burns and smoke inhalation.

Shortly after 9am on 22 July, Wales called 999 and reported a man had died of a drug overdose in his bath two days earlier, the court heard.

Wales said he "panicked" because he was on licence and did not want to go back to prison.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to preventing a lawful and decent burial.

When police arrived at his home, he led them to the bin, which had been placed on an overgrown garden nearby, along with discarded items, plants and a piece of furniture used to conceal it.

Wales, who the court heard had 32 previous convictions for 64 offences, including manslaughter, was initially arrested on suspicion of murder.

He told officers Mr Smith had come to his home and they had taken drugs together, before he had asked to take a bath and wash his clothes.

Wales said he left the house and returned to find Mr Smith dead in the bath, with a needle close by.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Smith's family said: "Paul was a son, a brother, a father, a partner. He was and always will be a deeply valued human. His life mattered."

Addressing Wales, the family said: "We do not believe you have told the whole truth about what happened to Paul."

They described him as "selfish" and a "coward", adding: "You continue to deprive us of our chance to know what truly happened."

Joanne Maxwell, defending, read a letter Wales had written to the court in which he expressed his remorse.

He said: "The family of my victim are never far from my thoughts. I am so sorry."

Mr Smith had taken heroin close to the time of his death, as well as a "relatively large amount of cocaine" and a number of sedatives, according to Home Office pathologist Dr Matthew Lyall, quoting from toxicology test results.

Drowning could not be proved or excluded, Dr Lyall said, adding it also could not be excluded "that the deceased was held underwater by a third party, but pathological findings cannot prove that occurred".

In February, Kevin Weetman, 34, Kylie Maynard, 37, and Lee Owens, 46, were jailed for the manslaughter of Mr Greener and Ms Jackson.

A trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard Mr Smith had travelled with Owens to the home in South John Street just after 12.30am on 15 July.

Weetman was jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years for planning the attack after Mrs Jackson's son George, 48, refused to sell drugs for him.

Maynard, said to be the "trusted lieutenant" in Weetman's drugs line, was jailed for 23 years and Owens was sentenced to 13 years and six months.

(c) Sky News 2026: Man who hid body of arson attack suspect in bin jailed