Morgue abuse compensation claimants reach settlement

More than half of the relatives of people abused by necrophiliac killer David Fuller have had compensation claims settled.

Fuller, of Heathfield, East Sussex, was jailed in 2021 after filming himself abusing at least 100 female bodies in two Kent morgues over 12 years.

NHS Resolution said 167 of the 255 claimants had concluded claims against the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

It said: "The compensation scheme is designed to provide a swift and compassionate response to families and all of those eligible received an interim payment".

Family members of Fuller's victims applied for compensation for damages through a voluntary scheme run by the trust and the Department of Health and Social Care.

The scheme closed in April 2024.

According to the Health Service Journal, the NHS bill amounted to "multi-millions", with claimants receiving between £7,500 and £18,000 each.

NHS Resolution said it was unable to comment on the value of the claims due to their "sensitive and confidential nature".

Fuller's crimes came to light in December 2020 after he was arrested for murdering Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in 1987.

A search of Fuller's home revealed he had hoarded millions of indecent images and videos of children and extreme pornography on hard drives, floppy discs, DVDs and memory cards.

On these drives officers found footage Fuller had recorded of himself abusing corpses in the morgues.

Folders, some labelled with the names of the victims, contained images and videos of him molesting female bodies, including three children, between 2007 and November 2020.

The offences were committed at mortuaries in the now-closed Kent and Sussex Hospital, and its successor, the Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury.

Fuller was given two whole-life tariffs for murdering Ms Knell and Ms Pierce.

He was also sentenced to 16 years for abusing more than 100 dead women and children in the mortuaries.

The final report from an inquiry into his crimes will be published later this year.

The NHS Resolution spokesperson added: “We have great sympathy with those affected by the heinous actions of Fuller.

“We are working with families and their representatives to resolve the final compensation amount for more complex claims, some of which involved multiple close relatives, as quickly as possible."

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