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Delay in funeral after Poplar Coroners hold Jewish man’s body
Clive Hyman’s funeral was 17 days after his ‘unexpected’ death
August 29, 2025 09:12
Clive Hyman’s funeral was 17 days after his ‘unexpected’ death
August 29, 2025 09:12A widow has spoken out after her husband’s funeral was delayed by more than two weeks because his body was being held by a London coroner.
Clive Hyman, 64, was taken to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel after suffering a brain injury following a fall and died shortly afterwards on August 10.
But Poplar’s Coroner Court only released his body after the BBC reported on the delay, meaning his family had to wait more than two weeks before they could have a funeral.
His widow, Rachel Graham, said staff at the hospital were “very kind”, but owing to the “unnatural” and “unexpected” nature of her husband’s death, his body was sent to the medical examiner at the coroner's court in East London.
Despite being told Hyman's body would be released following an autopsy within 24 to 48 hours, Graham said she was left in the lurch.
She became increasingly concerned that the delay would prevent Hyman from receiving the swift burial required by Jewish law. After more than a week of waiting, Graham, who is not Jewish, contacted BBC London, fearing that Hyman’s right to a Jewish burial was not being honoured.
Following the BBC reporting on the story last Friday, Poplar Coroner’s Court released the body, and Hyman was buried on Wednesday, August 27, at Hoop Lane Cemetery in Golders Green, 17 days after his death.
Hyman, who worked in finance and business, including 20 years at KPMG, was a member of the Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue.
The congregation’s senior rabbi, Mark Goldsmith, said his community had experienced two such coroner delays in recent weeks.
Speaking to BBC London, Goldsmith said: “Mostly coroners, especially in the area where our synagogue is, are very well aware of the needs of Jewish families, and therefore will get on with it and communicate well with the family if there has to be a delay.”
He added: “Hopefully, within two or three days at the most, the body will be released. It does happen sometimes – and interestingly enough, for our synagogue, it has happened twice in the last two weeks.”
Jewish law states that the bodies of the deceased should be buried as quickly as possible, ideally on the same day, and in the UK, people have the right under the Human Rights Act to a quick burial.
Poplar’s Coroner Court has been approached for comment.
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