Fears have been growing that Soham fiend Ian Huntley could have a state-funded funeral. And now his family have reportedly made a key decision
The double murderer was killed behind bars serving a life sentence(Image: Shutterstock)
Ian Huntley’s family members have made a huge decision regarding his funeral, it has been claimed.
The child killer was severely brain damaged when he drew his last breaths earlier this month, with even his own mother struggling to recognise him. He died just days after a brutal prison attack.
Lynda Huntley, 71, was the sole relative to visit him in hospital, and was reportedly at his bedside when the ventilaror was shut off. The mum is said to have told friends before his death that ‘it’s better if he doesn’t pull through’.
His miserable death may offer a slither of peace for the families of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the two little girls he murdered in Soham. But Huntley’s family – who have always been repulsed by his crimes and stayed largely estranged – are said to be keenly aware that any public show of mourning will only add to their anguish.
Ian Huntley was killed behind bars aged 52(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Outrage quickly grew at the possibility of the state funding a funeral for the killer following his death. But according to new reports, Huntley won’t have any form of service. Instead, he will have a basic cremation before his ashes are scattered in a secret location by his family.
According to The Sun, the killer’s family declined the offer of a state-funded funeral out of respect for his victims’ families. A source told the newspaper: “There will be no service, no memorial, no mourners, nothing. It is as it should be.”
The latest Ministry of Justice guidelines stipulate that “prisons must offer to pay a contribution towards reasonable funeral expenses of up to £3,000. The only exceptions to this are where the family has a pre-paid funeral plan or is entitled to claim a grant from other government departments e.g., Department of Work and Pensions.”
Reasonable fees would include undertaker charges, coffin expenses, hearse hire, cremation or burial costs and religious or belief leader payments. The contribution cannot cover headstones, floral tributes, obituary advertisements or wake expenses.
But Huntley’s family members have reportedly deemed the idea inappropriate. A source said: “There will be no funeral. How could there be after what he did? They have always been utterly appalled by what he did. It was unforgivable and, for those reasons, they could not in good conscience hold a funeral.”
Meanwhile, prison sources reportedly told the Daily Mail that the issue of Huntley’s next of kin sparked a family ‘disagreement’. It appears that no-one wanted to claim the killer.
For Huntley’s daughter Samantha, the idea of having a funeral was ‘disgusting’. She previously told the Sun on Sunday: “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.” The woman insists that ‘the devil is waiting’ for her father.
The 27-year-old only learned she was Huntley’s daughter when she was taking part in a school crime project when she was just 14. She then came across a pixilated photo of her and her mum Katie in connection with Huntley. Katie, 45, fled Huntley’s brutality after becoming pregnant at 16.
Katie also wants no resting place for her murderous ex-partner. “I just cannot get out of my head what he did to Holly and Jessica and how he left them in a ditch,” she told the newspaper. “For that reason why should he be given the dignity of a grave?”
Technically speaking, the decision to turn off Huntley’s ventilator was meant to have been handed to Samantha. But as she never met him, and sees her father only as a monster, the burden appears to have fallen on his mother Lynda.
The mum made a secret visit to his bedside after his attack, where he was on a ventilator. She reportedly didn’t recognise him because of the extent of his wounds. “She’s understandably torn by what has happened but it was a harrowing experience for her,” a source told the publication.
“He’s been attacked on so many occasions and she now thinks it might be better if he didn’t pull through. It’s an extraordinarily difficult thing for her to come to terms with. Part of her just hopes he passes away this time.”
