Seven American undertakers linked to a scheme to plunder corpses and sell the body parts for transplants pleaded guilty to undisclosed charges and have agreed to co-operate with investigators.

A crime-fighting cat whose role in an undercover operation helped police catch an alleged bogus vet has been given a special award for his work.

Four men have been charged with running a bodysnatching ring that allegedly cut the bones of BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke from his corpse and sold them for transplants in a plot akin to “a cheap horror movie”, US authorities said today.