For more than two months, Hans Kristian Rausing went about his business while the corpse of his wife Eva decomposed in their luxury home in central London.
When friends or family asked about Eva, the billionaire's son would give vague replies, never suggesting anything was awry.
But the macabre pretence was dropped on July 9 when London police stopped Rausing for driving erratically and, after finding drugs, searched his home.
They found Eva's body in a fly-filled room under a pile of clothing and garbage bags that had been taped together.
Her husband had used deodorising power to try to minimise the smell.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The bizarre case of two extremely wealthy, drug-addicted souls who had contributed millions to anti-drug charities reached its climax in court on Wednesday when Rausing pleaded guilty to preventing the proper burial of his wife.
He was sentenced to a 10-month suspended jail sentence that will require him to receive extensive treatment at a drug rehabilitation centre, plus a two-month suspended sentence for driving under the influence of drugs.
Judge Richard McGregor-Johnson said Rausing, 49, did not do anything to contribute to his wife's death, which the judge said was probably caused by heart failure coupled with drug abuse.
In a statement read in court, Rausing said he believes he suffered a breakdown after Eva died because he could not face losing her.
"I did not feel able to confront the reality of her death," he said in the statement, adding that he "batted away" any inquiries about his wife.
"I do not feel, with the benefit of hindsight, that following her death I acted rationally," he said, adding that he had been "very traumatised" by the situation.
He sat silently in court during the proceeding, wearing a blue suit and red tie.
The details revealed on Wednesday established that investigators believe Eva died on May 7, with drugs including cocaine in her system, and that her husband admitted that he kept her in their home rather than report her death to authorities.
The judge said the Rausings' case illustrates how drug abuse could destroy even a wealthy family that had "every material advantage imaginable".
He said the couple lived in "utter squalor" despite their riches.
Eva Rausing came from an affluent American family, and Rausing is a scion of one of Europe's richest families - his father has a net worth estimated at STG4.3 billion ($A6.5 billion) from the sale of his stake in the Tetra Pak milk-carton packaging company.
Their drug problems, long an open secret among family and friends, first came to public attention in 2008 after Eva Rausing was caught trying to bring heroin and crack cocaine into the heavily guarded US Embassy in London.
A subsequent search of the couple's home turned up a large quantity of cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin.
Their four children are being raised by one of Rausing's sisters.
