Taxpayer-Funded Funeral for Double Child Killer Ian Huntley Sparks Outrage
Double child killer Ian Huntley, who appalled the nation with the murders of 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, could receive a taxpayer-funded funeral and memorial service under government policy, despite widespread public revulsion and opposition from his own family. Huntley died yesterday morning after his life support was switched off on Friday, following a brutal assault by a fellow inmate at HMP Frankland in Durham.
Prison Protocol Mandates Funeral Costs and Condolence Letter
Under strict prison guidelines, the governor of HMP Frankland, Darren Finley, is required to pen a formal letter of condolence to Huntley's family and invite them to visit the prison. Additionally, the prison must offer to contribute up to £3,000 towards funeral expenses, payable directly to funeral directors upon receipt of invoices. This funding is intended to cover reasonable costs for a service, including a hearse, coffin, faith leader, and cremation fees. However, if the family chooses not to arrange a funeral, the money will not be disbursed.
Protocol further dictates that a memorial service should be organised through the prison's chaplaincy, which may be attended by family members, other inmates, and prison staff. It is expected that Huntley will be cremated at an undisclosed location, though his daughter has expressed vehement opposition to any form of funeral.
Family Disagreement and Daughter's Opposition
The issue of Huntley's next of kin has reportedly caused a family disagreement. His daughter, Samantha Bryan, 27, who had never met her father, was initially supposed to make the decision to turn off his life support. Ultimately, this responsibility fell to his mother, Lynda Richards, who travelled from Lincolnshire to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary after the attack.
Ms Bryan told The Sun on Sunday that she does not believe her father deserves a funeral, stating, 'He shouldn’t have the dignity of a funeral and grave. I will not be going. A funeral is pointless for a man like him.' She added, 'I don’t want there to ever be any possibility of freaks or weirdos going to a resting place or memorial, to show him some kind of twisted respect.' In a previous outburst, she even suggested his ashes should be 'flushed down the toilet'.
Brutal Assault and Prison Violence
Huntley was bludgeoned to death after being hit repeatedly over the head with a spiked metal bar taken from a waste metal basket, according to sources. Triple murderer Anthony Russell, 43, is suspected of launching the brutal assault, which left Huntley 'torn apart like a rat' and lying in a pool of his own blood. This incident marks the latest in a string of violent attempts on Huntley's life by other prisoners, who detested him for the nature of his crimes and his repellent behaviour behind bars.
Previous attacks include an inmate slashing Huntley's throat in 2010, requiring 21 stitches, and another convicted murderer throwing boiling water over him in 2005. Huntley's wearing of a red Manchester United football shirt in prison also infuriated other inmates, as his two victims were famously photographed in Manchester United jerseys shortly before their deaths.
Crime and Confession Details
Ian Huntley was jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 40 years in December 2003 for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Judges told him he had 'little or no hope' of ever being released. He died without ever revealing the full truth about the girls' deaths, only offering a sanitised version. In court, he claimed both girls died accidentally, but in 2018, he confessed to deliberately killing Jessica to stop her from raising the alarm. To her family's distress, he always maintained that Holly's death was an accident.
During the 13-day search for the girls, Huntley was filmed expressing sympathy to the families and stating he was likely the last person to have seen them. Leaked tape recordings revealed that Huntley had come to terms with dying in prison, and in a 2018 phone call leaked to The Sun, he made a grovelling apology, saying, 'I am genuinely, genuinely sorry and it breaks my heart when it is reported I have no remorse.'
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said, 'The murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman remains one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation's history, and our thoughts are with their families.'
