Ian Huntley’s funeral might be paid for by UK taxpayer – what it’s best to know

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Ian Huntley, who murdered ten-year-old friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, has died in hospital after he was attacked in prison – and his funeral could be paid for by the UK taxpayer

Taxpayers face £3,000 bill for Soham killer Ian Huntley’s funeral after prison death

• Child killer Ian Huntley has died following a brutal prison attack, leaving taxpayers potentially facing a £3,000 funeral bill.
• The Soham murderer was battered to death with a metal bar by fellow prisoner Anthony Russell at HMP Frankland in Durham last Thursday. Russell allegedly yelled “I’ve done it, I’ve done it” after the fatal assault on the 52-year-old.
• Huntley murdered ten-year-olds Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells in August 2002 after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire. Their disappearance sparked a massive nationwide search before their bodies were discovered in a ditch.
• Under Ministry of Justice regulations, taxpayers could now be forced to cover the monster’s funeral costs. Current MOJ guidelines state: “Prisons must offer to pay a contribution towards reasonable funeral expenses of up to £3,000.”
• The funds can cover coffin expenses, undertaker charges, hearse hire, cremation fees and religious leader payments. However, headstone costs, flowers, wake expenses and obituary ads are excluded.
• This wasn’t the first attempt on Huntley’s life behind bars. In 2010, burglar Damien Fowkes slashed his neck with a makeshift blade, inflicting a 7-inch gash requiring 21 stitches.
• Huntley was serving a life sentence with a minimum 40-year term for the Soham killings.
• READ THE FULL STORY: Ian Huntley’s funeral could be paid for by UK taxpayer as Soham killer dies