FRAUDULENT FUNERAL

The mystery of a dead Latvian student, a £10,000 funeral with an empty coffin and a bizarre conman

The body of Lauris Zaube, 23, a student in Latvia who went missing during a NewYear’s Eve party, was finally recovered from the River Lielupe in early April after extensive searches of the area. However, a funeral had already been held for him in London on 4 March. Father Rupert McHardy, 49, arrived at the London Oratory Roman Catholic church in South Kensington to conduct what he believed was Zaube’s funeral, apparently organised by Clyde Zaube, Lauris’s brother. Pictures of Lauris had been placed around the church, a choir had been booked and a film director was in place to record the ceremony for family in Latvia. Outside there was a horse-drawn hearse, two vintage cars and undertakers in top hats. As he prepared to start the ceremony, the concerned…

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Fortean Times (Digital) - 1 Issue, 445

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