Soham murderer Ian Huntley cremated in £265 eco-friendly coffin as taxpayers pick up funeral tab – UK Times

Soham killer Ian Huntley was cremated in a £265 eco-friendly coffin at a service attended by no mourners and was paid for by the taxpayer, The Independent can reveal.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spent almost £2,000 on funeral services for Huntley, who died in hospital, after allegedly being attacked at HMP Frankland in February.

An inquest last month heard how the 52-year-old, who murdered 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, suffered a fatal injury to the head from a metal bar in the high-security prison, before his death days later at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Soon after, a petition signed by 64,000 people was launched calling for the MoJ not to use taxpayer funds to pay for his funeral, after it was revealed it offers up to £3,000 towards prisoners’ funeral costs.

Now, the MoJ has revealed it spent £1,915 on Huntley’s cremation. That included £625 for “professional services”, £275 for the transfer of his body from hospital, £65 for a cremation casket and £265 for a “jute natural coffin”. £100 was also paid for staff attendance and supervision.

A jute coffin is made from natural, biodegradable materials that provide minimal environmental impact. The fee for the “direct unattended” cremation was £585, the MoJ said.

Under the MoJ’s standard practice for covering basic funeral expenses, money is paid directly to the funeral director and does not cover the cost of wakes, headstones or burial plots.

The Independent understands that the coffin was selected because it was the most cost-effective option.

Previous prisoners who have had their costs paid for by the state include Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe in 2020 and child killer Raymond Morris in 2014.

Huntley’s ashes are due to be returned to his mother, Lynda Richards, as his next of kin, next month.

It was reported that Ms Richards visited Huntley in hospital, where he was said to be in a vegetative state after his life support machine was switched off.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman remain one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation’s history, and our thoughts are with their families.”

Huntley, an ex-school caretaker, was serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders when he was killed.

He attacked the best friends after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4 2002. Later, he dumped their bodies in a ditch 10 miles away.

He denied murdering the girls but was convicted after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2003. He was jailed for life with a recommended minimum term of 40 years.

Following Huntley’s death, inmate Anthony Russell, 43, was charged with his murder.