Dad's body in mortuary for FIVE MONTHS amid sons' dispute over funeral

Dad's body in mortuary for FIVE MONTHS amid sons' dispute over funeralA High Court judge has handed down a ruling over where Michael Godwin, 95, will be buried after his two sons went head-to-head in a legal battle over his last resting placeCommentsNewsBenedict Tetzlaff-Deas News Reporter21:59, 22 Apr 2026Updated 22:05, 22 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesA judge has ruled the dad must be buried in England(Image: Getty Images)A dad's body has been stuck in an undertaker's mortuary for almost five months as his sons argue over his funeral arrangements.‌Michael Godwin, 95, died in a hospital in Leeds last November after returning to Britain for a holiday, and had previously expressed a wish to be buried in France. But his body has remained partially embalmed in a mortuary since shortly after his death, as two of his three sons, William and Jason Godwin, have been locked in a fierce court battle over whether he should be cremated or buried. At a hearing in Leeds earlier this month, William asked a judge at the High Court to declare he had the "lawful authority to arrange and instruct" his father's cremation, and that Jason had "no lawful authority to prevent or interfere" with it.‌READ MORE: Family's desperate plea as Scarlett Faulkner's brother dies days after her funeralREAD MORE: John Virgo's final hours, cause of death and Big Break co-star Jim Davidson's tragic callView 2 ImagesThe case was heard at London's High Court(Image: PA)‌But in a ruling on Wednesday, Judge Jonathan Klein ordered that Michael be buried in England as part of a Church of England funeral - and stated that William "must extend an invitation" to his brother.The judge said that Michael, who was a member of the Church of England, had expressed a "consistent wish" to be buried and that repatriating his body to France could cause "significant delay". In his ruling, Judge Klein said that Mr Godwin was born in Su...