Double child murderer Ian Huntley’s funeral cost the taxpayer £2,000 after the Soham killer was cremated in an eco-friendly coffin with no mourners present
Taxpayers have been forced to foot a bill of nearly £2,000 for the funeral of monster child killer Ian Huntley. The Soham murderer, who died following an alleged brutal attack at HMP Frankland, was cremated in a cut-price “natural coffin” costing £265.
Despite a massive public outcry, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) dipped into the public purse to fund the 52-year-old’s final send-off. New figures have revealed the exact breakdown of the cash spent to dispose of the beast, who murdered 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002.
The MoJ disclosed a total spend of £1,915 on the cremation, including £625 for professional services and £275 for transporting his body from the hospital.
The Independent reports a further £265 was paid for a jute natural coffin, along with £100 for staff attendance and supervision and £65 for a cremation casket
The eco-friendly coffin, made from biodegradable material, was reportedly the “most cost-effective option available.”
The payout comes despite a 64,000-strong petition demanding the government refuse to spend a single penny of taxpayer cash on the killer, according to The Mirror.
However, the MoJ maintains that covering basic funeral costs is “standard procedure,” with a cap of £3,000 available for prisoner expenses.
The department said: “The money is paid directly to the funeral director and does not cover the cost of wakes, headstones or burial plots.”
Huntley died in hospital days after he was allegedly battered with a metal bar at the maximum-security “Monster Mansion.” He is believed to have spent his final moments in a vegetative state before life support was switched off.
His mother and next of kin, Lynda Richards, reportedly visited him one last time and is expected to receive his ashes.
The former school caretaker shocked the nation 24 years ago when he lured best friends Holly and Jessica away from a family barbecue in Soham, Cambridgeshire. He murdered the youngsters and dumped their bodies in a ditch 10 miles away.
He was convicted at the Old Bailey in 2003 and handed a life sentence. Fellow inmate Anthony Russell, 43, has since been charged with Huntley’s murder.
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