Alan Davidson / Picture Library Ltd via AP, file

Eva and Hans Kristian Rausing attend the Glamour America Fashion Show and lunch at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Britain in London on Nov. 26, 1996.

LONDON -- Multi-millionaire Hans Kristian Rausing pleaded guilty Wednesday to preventing the proper burial of his wealthy U.S.-born wife Eva, whose badly decomposed body was found in the luxury London home she shared with her husband.

A spokeswoman for Britain's judiciary told The Associated Press that Rausing, whose father made billions selling his stake in the Tetra Pak drinks-carton empire, pleaded guilty at London's Isleworth Crown Court to charges of "preventing the lawful and decent burial" of his 48-year-old wife.

She spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office policy.

Police discovered Eva Rausing's body in early July after her husband was stopped by police after driving erratically. It was found in a fly-filled room under a pile of clothing and garbage bags which had been taped together.   

It was possible Eva Rausing died up to two months before her body was found, Isleworth Crown Court heard, according to BBC News.  A post-mortem examination established that she had drugs in her system, including cocaine.   

In a statement to the court Hans Kristian Rausing said he had been unable to confront the reality of his wife's death, the BBC added.

'Very traumatized'
He told police that he did not have "a very coherent recollection of the events leading up to and since Eva's death" but that he had never wished her any harm.

"I did not supply her with drugs. I have been very traumatized since her death," he added, according to the BBC. "I do not know what caused her death. I did not feel able to confront the reality of her death."

The judiciary spokeswoman told the AP that Hans Kristian Rausing would be sentenced later. He has been treated in a psychiatric facility in recent weeks.

His father has a net worth net worth estimated at 4.3 billion pounds ($6.7 billion) from the Tetra Pak sale.

Tragic story of addition
Hans Kristian's plea caps a tragic story of addiction and wealth.

Eva Rausing's father Tom Kemeny, a former Pepsi executive, said in a statement on July 17 that his daughter had earlier returned to the British capital to try to persuade her husband to join her in drug treatment in the U.S.

"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," he said in the statement.

The couple's struggles with addiction -- long known to their close friends and family -- became widely known in 2008 when Eva Rausing was caught trying to smuggle crack cocaine and heroin into the U.S. Embassy in London in her handbag.

Police later found more drugs, including a sizeable amount of cocaine, in a search of the couple's townhouse and the two were charged with drug possession.

Police struggle to shed light on US-born heiress' death

Prosecutors later agreed to drop the charges in exchange for formal police warnings when the couple -- who gave millions to anti-addiction charities -- admitted guilt.

Before the embassy arrest, Eva Rausing's good looks and beautiful clothes -- along with her husband and his friendly, bear-like countenance -- had made the Rausings, who had married shortly after they met in the 1980s, welcome participants on the London philanthropic scene.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Hulton Archive / Getty Images file

Eva Rausing and Hans Kristian Rausing, heir to the Swedish Tetra Pak fortune. Eva Rausing, known for her philanthropic work and her struggle with addiction, was found dead in the couple's home on July 9.

One of the world’s richest men, Hans Kristian Rausing, was charged with preventing the lawful burial of his wife's body, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The report, citing London’s Metropolitan Police, said the charges filed on Monday extend to July 9, when Eva Rausing, 48, was found dead in the couple’s $100 million home in London after her husband was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Rausing’s body was discovered in an advanced state of decomposition that suggested she had been dead for some time, possibly as long as a month, The Independent reported on Monday.

Police went to the couple’s Georgian mansion to arrest Hans Kristian Rausing — billionaire heir to the Tetra Pak fortune — on suspicion of drug possession after he was seen driving erratically. In the search of the home for drugs, police discovered the body of Eva Rausing.

The couple had a long-publicized battle with drug use and addiction.

A profile in the Sydney Morning Herald, citing friends of the couple, reported that in the months leading up to her death, Eva Rausing had been wracked by fears that she and her husband were being spied on, and that they were the victims of a conspiracy of "bribes, lies and sleaze."

Hans Kristian Rausing was arrested in connection with her death, but the autopsy was inconclusive on the cause because of the decomposition, reports said.

Rausing remains under arrest but is receiving medical treatment for withdrawal and has not yet been questioned by detectives, the Associated Press reported.

The charge of "preventing the decent and lawful burial" is a common law offence, which leaves it up to a judge how much time Hans Kristian Rausing would face if convicted, the AP said. Recent cases on similar charges have led to sentences of several years.

LONDON -- The heir to the Tetra Pak drinks-carton fortune has been arrested in connection with his wife's death, reports said Friday, but police have had to delay questioning him while he is treated for alcohol withdrawal.

The body of American-born Eva Rausing, 48, was found Monday in the couple's London home. Police have said the death is being treated as unexplained, but her husband, Hans Christian Hausing, 49, remains in police custody.

The Telegraph quoted Detective Inspector Sharon Marman as telling Westminster Coroner's Court on Friday: "We have not yet been in a position to interview Mr. Rausing. He has been arrested on suspicion of her murder and we await notification of when he would be fit to be interviewed by police." 

Although the detective used the word "murder," the Guardian reported that the official inquiry remains an investigation into an "unexplained death." One of the theories being examined, the newspaper said, was that Rausing died of a self-administered overdose.

Struggles with substance abuse
Eva Rausing, a mother of four, was one of the wealthiest women in Britain at the time of her death. Her husband's family is worth an estimated $6.7 billion, according to The Telegraph. The family was ranked as Britain's 12th richest in the 2011 Sunday Times Rich List.

Police found Eva Rausing's body in the couple's west London home after arresting Hans Christian Rausing for driving erratically. Reports suggest she had been dead for up to a week before her body was found.

Police struggle to shed light on US-born heiress' death

British tabloids have documented Eva and and Hans Christian Rausing's long struggles with substance abuse.

In 2008, Eva Rausing was arrested outside the U.S. Embassy in for reportedly trying to bring crack cocaine and heroin into building in her handbag. Police later found small amounts of cocaine, crack and heroin in a search of the couple's house. They were charged with drug possession but prosecutors later agreed to drop the charges in exchange for formal police warnings.

Before the embassy arrest, Eva Rausing's good looks and beautiful clothes — along with her husband and his friendly, bear-like countenance — had made the Rausings welcome participants on the London philanthropic scene. She was on several charity boards, focusing on those that helped fight drug addiction, but also serving on Prince Charles' Foundation for the Built Environment.

Evidence suggests that Eva Rausing's drug use intensified in the years since the embassy arrest. Recent photographs showed that Eva Rausing had become quite gaunt, and her once stocky husband also recently appeared thin and furtive, bearing only a slight resemblance to his former self.

Liz Brewer, a friend of Eva Rausing, told Britain's Sky News that Rausing's problem had been "pushed under the carpet" for too long.
"She was totally addicted, obviously, and was trying to get off it," Brewer said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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