Ian Huntley, who murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, will be cremated without a funeral service and his ashes scattered in a location that will be kept secret, it has been revealed.
Huntley, 52, died on 7 March at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where he had been taken after allegedly being attacked with a metal bar in a workshop at HMP Frankland on 20 February. He was placed in an induced coma following surgery for a severe head wound and a second operation on a broken jaw, with doctors giving him a five per cent chance of survival. His mother, Lydia Richards, 71, visited him shortly before his death at around 8.45am. Anthony Russell, 43, has been charged with his murder and is due to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on 24 April for a pre-trial hearing.
His family chose to decline a government-funded funeral out of respect for the families of his victims, according to The Sun. The decision came after Justice Minister Sarah Sackman made clear the Government had no intention of covering the cost in any case. Speaking to LBC, she said Huntley did not deserve anything “more than the absolute bare minimum” and confirmed the department would not be spending up to £3,000 on a funeral. Under Ministry of Justice rules, that sum represents the maximum that can be allocated from public funds for a basic funeral for a prisoner who dies in custody, covering a simple coffin, hearse and cremation or burial fees.
The location where Huntley’s ashes will be scattered is being withheld over concerns about potential reprisals, a source said.
Huntley had been serving a life sentence following his 2002 conviction for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both aged 10, in Soham, Cambridgeshire. The girls disappeared after leaving a family barbecue to buy sweets. Their bodies were found near RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk 13 days after they went missing.
A full inquest into Huntley’s death will be held once the criminal proceedings against Russell have concluded.
