'Spiteful' mother jailed over secret cremation of son Published duration 22 May 2015

image caption Cathleen Hackney's son Paul Moreland died in 2010, aged 32

A "vindictive and spiteful" mother who lied on forms in order to stop her ex-husband attending their son's cremation has been jailed for four months.

Cathleen Hackney, from Park View Close, Stoke-on-Trent, arranged a secret funeral for Paul Moreland after a dispute with his father Paul Barber.

She signed paperwork to say there were no objections to a cremation, without Mr Barber's knowledge or consent.

The judge told the 56-year-old her actions were "wicked".

The divorced couple's son, who was 32, died in hospital in 2010 following long-term health problems.

Hackney was found guilty of misleading a funeral director by signing a false certificate and making a false representation under the Cremation Act

Judge David Fletcher, who also ordered Hackney to pay Mr Barber £5,000 in compensation, said the breaches of the act had led to Mr Moreland's relatives being "kept completely in the dark" about his funeral.

"I have no doubt that this is a case where your actions were intended to cause harm specifically to Mr Barber," he said.

"You willingly violated the criminal law to achieve that aim."

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