Derby man admits keeping body in freezer for almost two years
The victim died in September 2018 and was discovered in August 2020.
A man's pleaded guilty to having a pensioner's body in a freezer in Birmingham, but denies getting cash out with his bank card.
Damion Johnson admitted to keeping 71 year old John Wainwright at a property for nearly two years after he died in September 2018.
He was discovered in August 2020 but the cause of death is not yet known.
The offence is believed to have taken place when the pair lived in a flat in Cleveland Tower, Holywell Head, in Birmingham city centre.
Wearing a Las Vegas Raiders jacket, a chequered shirt, patterned trousers and deck shoes, Johnson, of Sun Street, Derby, admitted one count of preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body between September 1 2018 and August 22 2020.
But the 52-year-old denied three counts of fraud by false representation concerning using Mr Wainwright's bank card to withdraw money from cash machines, pay for goods and transfer money to his own account between September 23 2018 and May 7 2020.
Judge Shaun Smith KC told Johnson he will face trial on November 7.
When asked by the judge what Johnson's defence will be, Raglan Ashton, mitigating, said: "He says he was not acting dishonestly, namely that he maintains that he was entitled to the funds in Mr Wainwright's account.
"The arrangement was that monies would be paid jointly into Mr Wainwright's account, so essentially he maintains that it was his funds in Mr Wainwright's account and in short he was entitled to them."
Johnson remains on bail.