'Serious failings' aided UK mortuary body abuser, necrophiliac David Fuller in his spine-chilling crimes

Trigger warning: Some readers may find the details of this report disturbing. Discretion is advised

David Fuller, the man believed to be the worst necrophiliac killer Britain has ever seen, could carry out his nefarious abuse of over 100 women and girls due to "serious failings" at his workplace, found an inquiry on Tuesday.

An inquiry found that Fuller's string of abuses was aided by the hospital's "missed opportunities to question" his working practices.

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Fuller and his crimes

Between 2005 and 2020, David Fuller abused the bodies of at least 101 women and girls at Kent hospitals: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

In 2021, Fuller admitted to killing two women 25-year-old Wendy Knell and 20-year-old Caroline Pierce. He said that he committed the murders in 1987 in separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Subsequently, he admitted to engaging in necrophilia on many occasions. He confessed to abusing the bodies of many women he found in mortuaries. His victims ranged between the ages of nine and a hundred years.

A search of his home uncovered more than 800,000 images and 500 videos of his "persistent interest" in abusing, raping and murdering women.

For his shocking crimes, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He was given two life sentences for the murders. In addition, he was sentenced to 16 years behind bars for abusing corpses, so the 69-year-old will die in prison.

Inquiry findings

An inquiry into his crimes found that "there were missed opportunities to question Fuller's working practices".

The Guardian quotes Inquiry chair Sir Jonathan Michael as saying that the abuse "had caused shock and horror across our country and beyond".

"He routinely worked beyond his contracted hours, undertaking tasks in the mortuary that were not necessary or which should not have been carried out by someone with his chronic back problems. This was never properly questioned," he added.

Michael in the report released on Tuesday (Nov 28) said, "The offences that Fuller committed were truly shocking and he will never be released from prison."

He chalked up Fuller's barbarities to "failures of management, of governance, of regulation, failure to follow standard policies and procedures, together with a persistent lack of curiosity."

As per the report, there was "little regard" given to who was accessing the mortuary. It said that Fuller, who worked as the maintenance supervisor at hospitals, visited the mortuaries around 444 times in a year, yet it went "unnoticed and unchecked".

Talking to reporters, he also saidsenior bosses were allegedly "aware of problems in the running of the mortuary from as early as 2008".

How can such crimes be prevented?

The inquiry, as per BBC, has made 17 recommendations to prevent "similar atrocities". These include the installation of CCTV cameras in mortuaries and post-mortem rooms. Making it compulsory for maintenance staff to carry out tasks in these areas in pairs was also recommended.

Furthermore, it recommended that the "practice of leaving deceased people out of mortuary fridges overnight" or while maintenance is carried out should be put to an end.

Another inquiry to review how the deceased are cared for around the UK was launched in July and its findings are expected to be released in 2024.

(With inputs from agencies)