Latest news with #TunbridgeWells
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Council plans homes at cemetery – but hasn't removed all the bodies
Kent residents have criticised 'appalling' council plans to build homes on cemetery land after they said it failed to exhume all the bodies buried there. Tunbridge Wells borough council planned to build 20 new homes on a site inside Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, but were required to exhume the bodies of 15 people, including a baby, buried in pauper's graves. Although the Lib Dem-run council said the bodies had been exhumed in autumn 2020 by a 'specialist exhumation company', a freedom of information request seen by The Telegraph confirms only the remains of four people were found. The document names George Langridge, Maria Thomsett, George Cross and George Payne as the remains found and reinterred in new graves in the cemetery. This means that 11 other bodies, including the body of baby Frances Sarah Day, remain buried at the site, which dates back to 1873. Residents who lived near the cemetery first expressed concern in 2020, when, according to campaigner Justin Quinn, his neighbours were told by people on the site that they were 'unable to find [the bodies]' as they thought they were 'buried too deep'. But when concerns were raised with the council, Mr Quinn said they 'weren't met with a great deal of sympathy'. Mr Quinn said: 'The biggest shock was the tone of the messages we got back from the planning department.' He said they tried to give the impression that it was 'done deal' and 'everything was above board'. Mr Quinn added: 'It was frustrating that it felt like if we didn't escalate our campaigning, it would have got brushed under the carpet'. Eve Wright, another resident, said that the 'inappropriateness of the proposal' was 'appalling'. As well as the issues surrounding the exhumation, or lack thereof, the development raises questions of privacy for residents and visitors to the cemetery. Ms Wright added: 'People who visit graves, it's a very private moment. The last thing they want is to be overlooked.' Another campaign group, Friends of the Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, have also highlighted concerns that the site remains consecrated, and should therefore still be used for burials. Lynee Monkton, secretary of the group, told the BBC: 'As far as we can see, the site was consecrated in 1873. We have no record it was deconsecrated so it should still be able to be used as a cemetery unless they can prove otherwise.' Residents are calling for action by the council, starting with an 'acknowledgement' of the findings revealed by the FOI request. Mr Quinn explained: '[We need] acknowledgement from the council that there are bodies there and they should engage more sympathetically with local residents. 'We felt like we should have deserved a letter through the door saying this is going to happen right next to your house'. Ms Wright also criticised the lack of 'public consultation' throughout the ordeal. She said: 'The council should thoroughly investigate everything that has been brought to light and should certainly put a stop on any further development of the planning. 'I think they should meet with the local residents, some kind of a public consultation.'
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Locals' fury over plans to build 20 luxury homes on old burial site after council 'hid' they had failed to exhume most of the bodies
Residents living in the shadow of a cemetery where developers want to build luxury homes over dead bodies have accused their council of 'taking them for fools' after it emerged a full exhumation did not take place as promised. Calls are mounting to block the council's plans to build 20 homes over 11 'sacred' gravestones, including one belonging to a baby, at Tunbridge Wells Cemetery in Benhall Mill Road. Some 15 paupers were buried between 1873-1928 and it was previously revealed how Tunbridge Wells Borough Council had moved to exhume all of the bodies in 2020 amid plans to build over the former burial site. But a Freedom of Information request, submitted by campaign group Friends of the Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, today reveals that only four of the 15 bodies were exhumed between September 28 and October 6 2020. The graves dug for full exhumation with permission from the Ministry of Justice were named as George Langridge, Maria Thomsett, George Cross and George Payne. It means that at least 11 others, including baby Frances Sarah Day, are still potentially buried underneath the ground at the depot where the council plans to build the 16 houses and four flats. The revelation has sparked accusations that the council has kept residents in the dark, with locals saying it is 'incredibly disrespectful' and 'immoral' to build over land where not all the bodies have been removed. Documents seen by MailOnline show the Ministry of Justice issued directions for the exhumation, which included the demand: 'You must remove all human remains from the area hatched on the attached plan prior to starting any development work.' Following the revelation that only four bodies had been exhumed, campaigner Justin Quinn told MailOnline: 'It's insulting to be told one thing by the local council only to find out via a Freedom of Information request that the facts are very different. 'Many of us in the local community are emboldened by the sense that regardless of the questionable moral and legal implications of the development, we don't like being taken for fools. The campaigners only submitted the FOI after those working on the exhumation told elderly neighbours they thought the remains were buried too deep to find. This allowed them to 'uncover the truth that there are still people buried in the ground where these houses are to be built', Mr Quinn added. 'Our hunch is they are trying to keep it as quiet as possible because they are aware it wouldn't be a popular if people knew what the situation was.' Athanasios Sermbezis, whose parents-in-law are buried together in the working part of the cemetery, is among those fighting to block development on the land which lies within the walls of the working cemetery but is now used as a maintenance depot. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the 79-year-old said: 'My children were born and live in Tunbridge Wells. My grandchildren were born and live in Tunbridge Wells so obviously to us the cemetery is a very sacred place. The names of those still presumed to be in the cemetery Frances Sarah Day, 1873, (baby) Richard Geer, 1874 Dennis Geer, 1873 Rebecca West 1873 Joseph Austen, 1874 Charles Lee, 1874 Sarah Morley, 1877 William Henry Everest, 1879 Martha Wheeler, 1875 Maria Batting, 1875 Thomas Batting, 1918 Sarah Batting, 1928 'For them to try and hush us and do it so quickly without really providing the evidence that has been cleared. 'My concern is why they are trying to get planning permission and do this when there are people buried there. 'We think from a religious point of view, it is immoral to build something on the top of a burial, even if it is an old burial. It is not morally right to build something where there are dead bodies. 'People might say 'we don't care, we need houses'. Yes we need houses but not on top of dead people.' More than 30 Tunbridge Wells residents have also raised objections to the plans. One resident Tamara Galloway wrote: 'As someone with my grandparents, both my parents and my uncle buried in Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, I'm appalled by this application to build houses on part of this working cemetery. 'The investigations carried out recently did not find all the people buried here. Since these graves were unmarked, there may well be others buried here whose names were not recorded.' Campaigner Robin Parsons, a member of Friends of Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, said: 'I am horrified that you are proposing to build houses over the area in the Cemetery designated as the burial ground of paupers. We know that not all the bodies have been removed. 'What you are proposing is incredibly disrespectful. Would you be doing this if famous or influential people were buried there? 'If the Council wants to erect houses, it should not be at the expense of the cemetery which remains one of the most beautiful areas of Tunbridge Wells.' Another resident, Elaine Lawrence, wrote: 'I particularly can not believe you can build on any burial ground let alone consecrated ground! Please stop this madness! And think of the huge impact on relatives of those buried and instead of a sanctuary of peace it will become a place of noise dirt and lost habitat for wildlife.' Mr Sermbezis, who came from Greece to the UK in the early 1970s, said the land earmarked for development lies within the walls of the cemetery. He said: 'The Church of England in the 1800s would not accept dead people in their cemetery if they were catholic, poor, or if they committed suicide. 'So they created a small space in the corner of the cemetery to put people who did not conform with the church. 'The land was later donated to the council, who are custodians of it.' In total, 15 bodies were buried in the small patch of land, including one of a baby. Sketches show the plans to build homes on land where its feared there are still dead bodies buried In 2019, the then-Conservative council applied for permission to build 11 houses on the land in the cemetery. They were told they had to take precautions to exhume all of the bodies and bury them in the main cemetery. However, the now-Liberal Democrat-run council only found four of the 15 bodies. Mr Sermbezis added: 'Out of those four bodies, one of those was called George Cross, we didn't have his name in our records. 'Either they invented it or they found another body. 'But their excuse is that they found the bodies. We are saying if you only found four, you have to go back and find the other 11. 'I am Greek. In Greece they have just discovered Alexander the Great's father. And your talking about 1000 years ago they have been missing. Bones don't disappear that quickly.' The retired water engineer said that under the The Disused Burial Grounds (Amendment) Act 1981, all bodies must be removed from the ground before any new building can be erected. Campaigners also say this is 'sacred' and 'consecrated' land which cannot be built upon under planning laws. A memorial gravestone was erected which claimed to have the 'reinterred remains' of all 15 paupers. But with only four bodies exhumed, locals say it is designed to portray that 'it's all been dealt with'. The council's plan is to build 16 homes made up of 10 three-bed houses and six two-bed houses. While they also want to build a flat block of four homes, with two two-bed flats and two one-bed flats. Plans show they want to build 30 parking spaces, 20 of which will have electric vehicle charging points. A council source said the council were given a letter from the Diocese of Rochester, which previously had ecclesiastical responsibility for the cemetery, confirming the ground was not consecrated. A spokesperson for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council said: 'We can confirm that the bodies were exhumed by a specialist exhumation company, the detailed surveys and work took place during autumn 2020 once necessary permissions had been granted. 'The found remains were treated with dignity and reburied in a different part of the cemetery. 'A memorial was erected with the names of the deceased in the cemetery grounds and all the works were carried out in consultation with the Friends of the Cemetery.'
Sky News
15-07-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Mother of victim of necrophiliac David Fuller reacts to inquiry that found crimes 'could be repeated'
Warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse readers' may find disturbing. The mother of one of David Fuller's victims has said she is still fighting to get compensation for the impact of her daughter's body being abused in a hospital mortuary. Fuller, a hospital electrician, is known to have violated at least 100 corpses, often filming or photographing his crimes. Nevres Kemal's daughter Azra Kemal was 24 when she died before her body was sexually abused by Fuller three times in the mortuary of Tunbridge Wells Hospital in July 2020. Ms Kemal told Sky News it was "a disgrace" she has to "prove that this has devastated me" as she fights to get compensation. It comes as an inquiry into the case concluded that "offences such as those committed by David Fuller could happen again". The report by Sir Jonathan Michael found that "current arrangements in England for the regulation and oversight of the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and, in significant areas, completely lacking". Ms Kemal commended the report for being "honest" but also said it was "expensive". She added: "This is the most horrendous story this country has ever seen around the violation of dead people. Now we need legislation and a separate body to regulate these organisations. "They are writing reports to help insure this will never happen again. But what about helping the people it's already happened to?" 'Traumatised' Ms Kemal said she is in a battle for compensation and has to demonstrate how the crime has impacted her. She said: "We have the burden of proof that this situation has traumatised us to a point that we either cannot work or it has made us unwell. It's the burden of proof upon us, which is a disgrace." The first phase of the inquiry criticised the NHS trust's poor management and lax security arrangements that allowed Fuller to access the morgue for 15 years and 444 times in one year alone, without raising suspicion. "Azra was one of his prime targets," says Ms Kemal. "He accessed Azra's Facebook. I spent time with Azra in the mortuary and that moment helped me heal. We spent two hours together." However, Ms Kemal later found out that her daughter's body had been violated both before and after the visit. She added: "It's disgusting that we have to fight for compensation when it should be something that should be considered in a very sensitive way and looked at in a more transparent way. "This government should ensure that people that have been wronged do not wait and beg for compensation." What did the inquiry uncover? The first phase of the inquiry found Fuller, 70, was able to offend for 15 years in mortuaries without being suspected or caught due to "serious failings" at the hospitals where he worked. Phase 2 of the inquiry has examined the broader national picture and considered if procedures and practices in other hospital and non-hospital settings, where deceased people are kept, safeguard their security and dignity. Fuller was given a whole-life prison term in December 2021 for the murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987. During his time as a maintenance worker, he also abused the corpses of more than 100 women and girls at Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital before his arrest in December 2020. His victims ranged in age from nine to 100. Phase 1 of the inquiry found he entered one mortuary 444 times in the space of one year "unnoticed and unchecked" and that deceased people were also left out of fridges and overnight during working hours. Highly critical report suggests suggest someone like Fuller could get away with it again Jason Farrell Home editor @JasonFarrellSky After an initial glance, his interim report already called for urgent regulation to safeguard the "security and dignity of the deceased". On publication of his final report he describes regulation and oversight of care as "ineffective, and in significant areas completely lacking". David Fuller was an electrician who committed sexual offences against at least 100 deceased women and girls in the mortuaries of the Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital. His victims ranged in age from nine to 100. This first phase of the inquiry found Fuller entered the mortuary 444 times in a single year, "unnoticed and unchecked". It was highly critical of the systems in place that allowed this to happen. His shocking discovery, looking at the broader industry - be it other NHS Trusts or the 4,500 funeral directors in England - is that it could easily have happened elsewhere. The conditions described suggest someone like Fuller could get away with it again. 'Could be a recurrence of appalling crimes' Presenting the findings on Tuesday, Sir Jonathan said: "This is the first time that the security and dignity of people after death has been reviewed so comprehensively. "Inadequate management, governance and processes helped create the environment in which David Fuller was able to offend for so long." He said that these "weaknesses" are not confined to where Fuller operated, adding that he found examples from "across the country". "I have asked myself whether there could be a recurrence of the appalling crimes committed by David Fuller. - I have concluded that yes, it is entirely possible that such offences could be repeated, particularly in those sectors that lack any form of statutory regulation." Sir Jonathan called for a statutory regulation to "protect the security and dignity of people after death".
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Another necrophiliac killer like David Fuller could STILL strike due to 'completely absent' regulation of mortuary care, inquiry finds
The crimes of necrophiliac morgue monster David Fuller - who abused the bodies of more than 100 women and girls - could be repeated elsewhere, an inquiry has found. The twisted father-of-four defiled corpses of dozens of females, aged nine to 100, while employed at the now-closed Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospita l, in Pembury, between 2005 and 2020. Fuller was already serving a whole life sentence for the sexually motivated murders of Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987, when police uncovered his systematic sexual abuse in hospital mortuaries. The Government launched an independent inquiry in 2021 to investigate how Fuller was able to carry out his crimes undetected, with the first phase of the probe looking at his employer, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. Now, that inquiry has concluded it is 'entirely possible' Fullers' abhorrent crimes could be repeated by another offender elsewhere. The final report of the inquiry sparked by his crimes also found that 'current arrangements for the regulation and oversight of the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and in significant areas completely absent'. Fuller was able to 'offend undetected' amid failures in 'management, governance' and because standard procedures were not followed, the inquiry found, while senior bosses were said to be 'aware of problems in the running of the mortuary from as early as 2008'. There was 'little regard' given to who was accessing the mortuary, with Fuller visiting 444 times in a year - something that went 'unnoticed and unchecked'. The fiend will die in prison after being sentenced to two life orders in 2021. Speaking as the report was published on Tuesday, chairman Sir Jonathan Michael said the inquiry is the first time that the 'security and dignity' of people after death has been reviewed so comprehensively. He said the weaknesses that allowed Fuller to offend for so long were not confined to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust where the killer worked. 'I have found examples in other hospital and non-hospital settings across the country. 'The security and dignity of people after death, do not feature in the governance arrangements of many organisations which are caring for the deceased,' Sir Jonathan said. 'I have therefore come to the conclusion that the current arrangements for the regulation and oversight of the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and, in significant areas, completely absent. 'I have asked myself whether there could be a recurrence of the appalling crimes committed by David Fuller. I have concluded that yes, it is entirely possible that such offences could be repeated, particularly in those sectors that lack any form of statutory regulation.' Previously outlining 17 recommendations made in a bid to prevent similar atrocities, Sir Michael, a former NHS hospital consultant and chief executive, said: 'In identifying such serious failings, it's clear to me that there is the question of who should be held responsible. 'Although the failures took place over many years and during various management and regulatory regimes, I expect the current leadership of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and those outside the trust charged with oversight and regulation, to reflect seriously and carefully on their responsibility for the weaknesses and failings that I have identified in this report and to implement my recommendations.' The inquiry previously concluded the trust should install CCTV cameras in the mortuary and post-mortem room, that maintenance staff should always carry out tasks in those areas in pairs and the 'practice of leaving deceased people out of mortuary fridges overnight' or while maintenance is carried out should end. It also called for a review of governance policies by the trust's board. Wendy Knell (left) and Caroline Pierce (right) were beaten and strangled by Fuller before being sexually assaulted An examination of Fuller's computer hard drive at his home in Heathfield, East Sussex, revealed 818,051 images and 504 videos of his abuse as well as evidence of his 'persistent interest' in rape, abuse and murder of women. Nevres Kemal is the mother of Azra Kemal, 24, one of Fuller's victims. Speaking previously, she said: 'The trust and other organisations have been failing for 15 years. Now we know the truth about how Fuller was able to abuse our loved ones. 'Miles Scott is presently the chief executive. He was there since January 8, 2018, and has also failed. He needs to resign. 'I spoke to him personally one to one and suggested he should resign as a matter integrity. I hope Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, will show him the door as he clearly doesn't know where the door is. 'Unless you have experienced this horror you cannot describe the pain that accompanies you night and day, every day. Something needs to be done now so we have some way of saying that lessons have been learnt and this is in the past. We need justice now.' Fuller filmed himself carrying out the attacks inside the hospitals, where he worked in electrical maintenance roles. He stored records of his serial sex offending on computer folders with titles including 'Necro Lord', 'Register', 'Deadly', 'Deadliest' and 'Best Yet'. Fuller was not linked to the murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce until 2020, which led investigators to search his home and uncover almost 900,000 files of him abusing corpses of females aged between nine and 100. The crimes were committed at the now-closed Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital, in Pembury, where Fuller had worked in maintenance since 1989. An examination of Fuller's computer hard drive at his home revealed 818,051 images and 504 videos of his abuse as well as evidence of his 'persistent interest in rape, abuse and murder of women'. Fuller's victims included nurses, teachers, a pilot, a skier, a war veteran, wives and mothers who had nurtured families. Many were still wearing defibrillators and catheters at the time Fuller abused their bodies. Among those whose bodies were abused by Fuller was a 92-year-old Second World War hero who worked at Bletchley Park. Her daughter previously said he 'has done the most heinous crimes, something our family must live with daily'. In 2020, Fuller admitted murdering Ms Knell and Ms Pierce in 1987 after he brutally bludgeoned and strangled them to death. Both women, who lived alone in bedsits in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, were then sexually assaulted by the former hospital electrician as they were either dying or post-death. Ms Knell's body was discovered in her bed on June 23, 1987, while Ms Pierce, who was attacked just feet from her front door on November 24, was found three weeks later on December 15 wearing just a pair of tights, in a field 38 miles away in Romney, Kent. Their horrific deaths - dubbed the Bedsit Murders - became one of the UK's longest unsolved double homicide cases. Three-times wed Fuller was finally arrested on December 3, 2020, after a major breakthrough in DNA science identified a familial link to a relative on the national database. He was sentenced to two life orders in December 2021, meaning he will never be released. The sentencing hearing heard impact statements from a string of the victims' family members. The mother of Fuller's youngest victim, a nine-year-old girl, addressed him directly, saying: 'David, you know who I am because you read the letter I wrote to my baby.' She added: 'You raped my baby. She couldn't say no to the dirty 66-year-old man who was abusing her body. I feel guilty I left her there. I will not enjoy my life again. This unnatural sick pain I will never get over.' The father of an 18-year-old victim said: 'The only bit of comfort we held on to was how peaceful she looked when we said our goodbyes. 'This was destroyed when we got a knock on the door by the police to say she had been violated by a man my wife had grown up in fear of. 'Fuller has taken our little girl's innocence and destroyed our souls. I am consumed with anger.' The widower of another woman told him: 'David, when you are serving your time behind bars, think carefully about what you have done and thank your lucky stars that I'm not sharing a cell with you.' Ordering Fuller to stand, Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb QC said: 'These were premeditated killings, carefully planned and executed. 'You had no regard for the dignity of the dead. You have spent the last 45 years living an outwardly mild and ordinary life. 'You were described as a man good under pressure while in seclusion you committed acts of the deepest darkness. 'You became a vulture, picking your victims from among the dead within the hidden world of hospital mortuaries which you were free to inhabit simply because you had a swipe card. 'The depravity of what you did reveals your conscience is seared. You will spend every day of the rest of your life in prison.' Morgue rapist David Fuller: A timeline of the heinous offences 1973: Fuller grew up in a terraced house in Angerstein Road, Portsmouth, and was living at the address when he was convicted of 26 counts of burglary. June 23, 1987: Ms Knell is found dead in her apartment in Guildford Road on by her boyfriend. The bed, duvet and pillows were bloodstained, and her bloodstained head was resting on a towel. Police could find no signs of forced entry, and neighbours heard nothing through the flat's thin walls. November 24, 1987: Ms Pierce, manager at a popular restaurant, is murdered by Fuller. However, it is not until three weeks later that her body - naked apart from a pair of tights - is found in a water-filled dyke of a remote field on Romney Marsh in Kent. January 1989: Fuller begins working as an electrical maintenance craftsman at Kent and Sussex and Tunbridge Wells hospitals. 2008: The first evidence of Fuller having filmed and photographed himself sexually abusing the bodies of dozens of women at the mortuaries. 2012: Kent Police reveals it has a full DNA profile of their prime suspect for the murders of Ms Knell and Ms Pierce. 2015: Fuller has to undergo a criminal record check for the first time in the wake of revelations Jimmy Savile sexually assaulted patients. It emerges he had convictions for burglaries in the 1970s that he is understood to have previously lied about. December 2020: Fuller is identified as the prime suspect in the murders after a DNA breakthrough achieved by analysing genetic material found at the crime scenes and searching criminal databases for relatives. Officers arrest him at his home in Heathfield, East Sussex, where he lived with his family, in the early hours of December 3. January 2021: Fuller admits responsibility for both killings at Maidstone Crown Court, but his barrister says he will deny murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He is later charged with additional offences relating to the sexual abuse of more than 100 victims. November 4, 2021: After his trial gets underway, Fuller changes his plea to guilty. He also admits a further 51 offences related to sexually abusing at least 102 victims, of which 82 have been identified, in the mortuaries over more than a decade. December 15, 2021: Fuller is sentenced to two whole life orders at Maidstone Crown Court. The Government launches an independent inquiry in 2021 to investigate how Fuller was able to carry out his crimes undetected. November 28, 2023
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Crimes of necrophiliac killer Fuller ‘could be repeated', inquiry finds
Harrowing mortuary crimes committed by necrophiliac killer David Fuller, who abused at least 100 deceased women and girls, could be repeated, an inquiry has found. The final report of the inquiry sparked by his crimes also found that 'current arrangements for the regulation and oversight of the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and in significant areas completely absent'. The maintenance worker sexually abused the bodies of more than 100 women and girls aged between nine and 100 while employed at the now-closed Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital, in Pembury, between 2005 and 2020. Speaking as the report was published on Tuesday, chairman Sir Jonathan Michael said the inquiry is the first time that the 'security and dignity' of people after death has been reviewed so comprehensively. He said that the weaknesses that allowed Fuller to offend for so long were not confined to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust where the killer worked. 'I have found examples in other hospital and non-hospital settings across the country. 'The security and dignity of people after death, do not feature in the governance arrangements of many organisations which are caring for the deceased,' Sir Jonathan said. 'I have therefore come to the conclusion that the current arrangements for the regulation and oversight of the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and, in significant areas, completely absent. 'I have asked myself whether there could be a recurrence of the appalling crimes committed by David Fuller. I have concluded that yes, it is entirely possible that such offences could be repeated, particularly in those sectors that lack any form of statutory regulation.' Fuller was already serving a whole-life sentence for the sexually motivated murders of Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987 when police uncovered his abuse in hospital mortuaries. In November 2023 the first phase of the inquiry, which looked at his employer Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, found Fuller was able to offend for 15 years without being caught due to 'serious failings' at the hospitals where he worked. Sir Jonathan said the Government 'must' introduce statutory regulations to protect the 'security and dignity' of people after death. There was 'little regard' given to who was accessing the mortuary, with Fuller visiting 444 times in a year – something that went 'unnoticed and unchecked', the inquiry found. Then in October last year inquiry chairman Sir Jonathan Michael called for urgent regulation of the funeral industry, which he called an 'unregulated free-for-all'. The interim review highlighted alleged incidents including a funeral assistant taking photos of a person being embalmed, of people being left to decompose or covered in mouldy sheets, and the sexual assault of a dead woman by a funeral director in the 1990s. Warning that the system is fundamentally flawed, he found that due to lack of regulation anyone could set themselves up as a funeral director, work at home and keep bodies in their garages if they wished.
