Police find man’s body in kitchen

The body of a man laid undiscovered in the kitchen of his Newark home for up to three months.

Mr Paul Bentley, aged about 64, was found by police on Thursday morning on the kitchen floor of his home on Lincoln Road in a decomposed state.

Police, notified by a neighbour concerned for Mr Bentley’s welfare, said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Mr Bentley, who had a disability, led a solitary life and neighbours said it was common not to see him.

None of his neighbours that the Advertiser spoke to knew him well.

The earliest of a pile of newspapers on his doormat was from October 18.

Speaking at the scene, Pc Mark Shuckburgh said: “It’s very sad. He may have laid undiscovered for as long as three months.”

He said the discovery demonstrated the need for householders to watch out for people living alone and to check up on them if they hadn’t been seen for a while.

One neighbour said: “I haven’t seen a light come on for at least two months, well before Christmas. I thought he must have gone away.

“I didn’t speak to him but I used to see him come out into the garden or go into town in his 4x4.

“It’s desperately sad.”

A woman next door said: “He used to be in and out of hospital.

“It wasn’t unusual not to see him.

“It was a bit of a shock to see all the police there this morning.

“He used to have a gardener and a window cleaner but I don’t know about any family.

“I didn’t really know him and with Christmas and having a little boy you tend to get tied up with things that are going on.”

Sergeant Mark Burrell, of Newark Police, said Mr Bentley’s death had been reported to the Nottinghamshire coroner.