British billionaire Hans Kristian Rausing charged in wife's non-burial

Eva Rausing and her husband Hans Kristian Rausing are seen Nov. 26, 1996, at Winfield House, the London residence of the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. / AP Photo/The Picture Library Ltd

(AP) LONDON - British police say Hans Kristian Rausing, an heir to a packaging fortune, has been charged with preventing the lawful and decent burial of his wife Eva, whose body was found last week in the couple's London home.

Eva Rausing's body was found July 9 after her husband was arrested on suspicion of drug possession.

Police said Tuesday night that Hans Kristian Rausing, 49, had been charged with "preventing the lawful and decent burial of the body of Eva Rausing on or before" the date of his arrest.

Hans Kristian Rausing, whose father made billions selling his stake in the Tetra Pak drinks-carton empire, will appear in custody at West London Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, police added.

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Meanwhile, the family of Eva Rausing says she had returned to the British capital to try and persuade her husband to join her in drug treatment in the U.S.

While an official cause of death is pending the results of more tests after an initial autopsy was inconclusive, Eva Rausing's struggles with drugs were well known after she was caught trying to smuggle crack cocaine and heroin into the U.S. Embassy in London in her handbag.

In a family statement released through a public relations firm Tuesday, Eva Rausing's father, Tom Kemeny, paid tribute to his "beautiful, generous, and fun daughter" while noting the lengthy battle she and her husband fought with addiction.

"Eva and Hans Kristian were a devoted and loving couple for the 21 years they spent together," Kemeny wrote. "They bravely battled their demons and supported each other."

He wrote that the family believes Eva Rausing started experimenting with drugs "in her late teens to overcome her shyness" which he said went on to affect her studies at college and later led to many stays in drug rehabilitation programs in the U.S. and the U.K.

Kemeny said he hopes his daughter's tragic death will raise awareness about addiction and generate financial support for its treatment.

"Eva would have wanted the memory of her life to be used to benefit others facing similar addiction challenges in their lives," the statement said, adding that the family plans to launch a foundation in due course.

Kemeny stressed his daughter's dedication to philanthropy and charities fighting addiction, and said that "even in the depths of her despair" she put others first.

"At the time of her death her over-riding concern was for the safety of her beloved husband, for whom she interrupted her own treatment to return to London in an attempt to take him back with her to California, but tragically to no avail."

Hans Kristian Rausing remains under arrest but is receiving medical treatment and has not yet been questioned by detectives.

In the statement, Kemeny called Hans Kristian Rausing a "son," whom "we love unconditionally with all our hearts."

[gangstalook1]

Denial and shock seems to be two major components here. The husband is clearly not in the right frame of mind to take care of himself under the duress of the drugs, so hopefully charging him with not providing a proper burial can get him arrested and cleaned up forcefully so he can acknowledge his wife's death and mourn properly. Sadly she went back to tell him how good treatment was and never left. These types of stories regardless of wealth always leave us disheartened. My prayers are with the family because drug addiction can happen to anyone

[gangstalook1]

Denial and shock seems to be two major components here. The husband is clearly not in the right frame of mind to take care of himself under the duress of the drugs, so hopefully charging him with not providing a proper burial can get him arrested and cleaned up forcefully so he can acknowledge his wife's death and mourn properly. Sadly she went back to tell him how good treatment was and never left. These types of stories regardless of wealth always leave us disheartened. My prayers are with the family because drug addiction can happen to anyone

[mooncrow66]

Pardon my ignorance; but exactly what is meant by "preventing the lawful and decent burial"?

[askagain]

Perhaps that is a reference to knowing somone has died but not reporting the death to authorities so that the body receives a burial. That is just a guess on my part. It would be interesting to hear what the legal definition is under British law.

[MagnaCartaUK]

It's not ignorance 'mooncrow', our laws are mostly complicated, and numerous in number too. I think the crime he's been charged with is probably rooted in either our Burial Act, or health and public safety Acts, due to the decomposition process. There may even be a religious aspect to it, though I'm not sure of that. What I find slightly confusing about this case, is that in view the cause of her death was sudden, and hasn't been fully established, one might have expected the coroner to retain her body until having done so, and if necessary order an inquest. Perhaps that may still be announced - unless that requirement is negated by it not being deemed a suspicious death. Still, I think the lady deserves a little better than she's received thus far, and her husband's actions may have been the result of an un-alanced and distraught mind; the kind that the shock of death can occasionally cause. Time will tell I suppose.

[55minus5]

Really, really too much money. No, I'm not being hateful. But still...