NEW CROSS: Inquest told men stumbled over corpse
COUNCIL cleaners discovered the body of a teenage girl while they were clearing out her flat in New Cross.
Graham Woolard, who specialises in "nasty jobs", and his cleaning team stumbled across the body of Rachel Mpulelo, 18, who had died nearly six months earlier.
A rent arrears officer who had been called to investigate her arrears had alerted the council to the state of the flat.
Mr Woolard told Southwark Coroner's Court last Friday how the rubbish in the Erlanger Road flat in New Cross totally disguised the body.
He said: "We'd done quite a bit of work on the flat already and we hadn't seen the body.
"There was rubbish on top of her clothing.
"There were mattresses in the hallway. The premises in general were in a total state of disarray.
"I did stand on her. So did my colleague. He took it rather badly."
It is believed the teen may have been suffering from hypothermia though a cause of death could not be established.
Coroner Selena Lynch returned an open verdict, stating her suspicion was that Miss Mpulelo's death was perfectly natural.
December 4, 2001 12:44
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