The ashes of Ian Huntley will be scattered in secret by his family, who have definitively ruled out any form of funeral service for the Soham murderer.
According to sources, the decision was taken to avoid causing further distress to the families of his victims, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. “There will be no service, no memorial, no mourners, nothing. It is as it should be. There will be no funeral. How could there be after what he did?” a source told The Sun.
‘Absolute bare minimum’ from the state
By declining a public service, the family has also allayed concerns that taxpayers would fund a significant farewell. The Ministry of Justice has a policy to contribute up to £3,000 towards the funeral costs of inmates who die in custody, covering reasonable expenses like a coffin and cremation fees.
However, Justice Minister Sarah Sackman has been clear that Huntley would receive no such sum. “This man, Ian Huntley, doesn’t deserve anything more than the absolute bare minimum,” she stated. “We’re not spending £3,000. That’s the maximum in our policy that it affords.”
The family’s stance is reflected in the views of Huntley’s closest relatives. His daughter, Samantha Bryan, who discovered her father’s identity as a murderer during a school project aged 14, said he “shouldn’t have the dignity of a funeral and grave” and that his ashes should be “flushed down the toilet”. His mother, Lynda Richards, reportedly made the decision to switch off his life support in hospital.
Death after alleged prison attack
Huntley, 52, died on 7 March at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. His death followed a violent assault at HMP Frankland, the Category A maximum-security prison in County Durham, on 26 February. He was allegedly attacked with a metal bar by another inmate, sustaining severe head injuries.
He was placed on life support, which was withdrawn a day before his death after medical consultations. The alleged attacker, Anthony Russell, 43, has been charged with murder. Russell is himself a convicted triple murderer and rapist serving a whole-life order. He is scheduled for a pre-trial preparation hearing at Newcastle Crown Court on 24 April.
The attack occurred at HMP Frankland, a facility nicknamed “Monster Mansion” for its population of high-profile, dangerous inmates. Huntley, who was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years, had survived previous attempts on his life in prison, including having his throat slashed in 2010, and was kept under close protection.
The crimes that shocked a nation
Ian Huntley was convicted in December 2003 for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002. The two best friends vanished after leaving a family barbecue to buy sweets. Huntley, then a school caretaker, lured them into his home by falsely claiming his girlfriend was there.
After killing the girls, he dumped their bodies in a remote ditch 10 miles away. Their bodies were not discovered for 13 days, despite one of the largest police searches in British history. Huntley’s then-girlfriend, Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant at the girls’ school, provided a false alibi for him. She was jailed for 21 months for perverting the course of justice and now lives under a new identity.
The case led to profound national grief and triggered major reforms to child protection and vetting procedures in the UK.
