Perverts who sexually abuse corpses could face five-year prison sentences under new laws following the heinous crimes of morgue monster David Fuller

• Criminals who sexually abuse corpses now face harsher penalties

Perverts who sexually abuse corpses face five-year prison sentences under a new law following the heinous crimes of morgue monster David Fuller.

Criminals who sexually abuse corpses will face tougher sentences under government-backed reforms developed in the wake of the necrophiliac murderer.

Fuller worked in maintenance at the Kent and Sussex Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury, Kent, from 1989 and sexually abused the bodies of 101 women and girls in the hospital’s mortuaries between 2005 and 2020.

He was also convicted in 2021 of murdering two women in separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells in 1987.

Justice Minister Laura Farris said the government would amend existing 2003 legislation to increase the maximum sentence for sexual penetration of a corpse from two years to seven years.

MPs heard the changes also introduce a new offense of “sexual activity with a corpse”, with a maximum sentence of five years for non-penetrative offences.

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The government will implement the change by supporting an amendment to the Criminal Justice Act, originally proposed by Conservative former ministers Greg Clark and Dame Tracey Crouch.

Mr Clark, speaking to the House of Commons during the bill’s report phase, said: “All of Fuller’s crimes are, frankly, unspeakable, but alongside the fact that the current sentencing limit is absurdly inadequate to effectively deal with corpse rape , It does not cover any form of sexual assault that is not penetrative at all.”

He added that there was “clearly a gap” in the law that needed to be filled, adding: “That is the aim of this new clause.”

Mr Clark said: “Victims of Fuller were robbed of their lives and then their dignity and then the victims’ families were robbed of proper justice.”

“The devastation to the families of Fuller’s victims was heartbreaking.”

“They suffered the deaths of their daughters, sisters, nieces, aunts, wives, mothers and grandmothers.”

“And after burying her and mourning her lost life, hundreds came knocking on the door one night from the police who informed them that the body of the person so precious to them had been desecrated in the city in the most heinous way Way to punish this vile individual in a place – a hospital morgue – that they believed to be untouchable, safe and secure.

“Many will never get over the shock and disgust they felt when they were told this news that evening, and it remains with them even now.”

Mr Clark said police and the victims’ families would never give them back the “peace of mind that Fuller destroyed”, adding: “Unfortunately we cannot correct that in this House.”

“But what we can do is ensure that these crimes are recognized for their seriousness.”

Ms Farris said earlier in the debate: “In 2024 it may be rare that a crime can be identified that Parliament has not even considered before.”

“But the scale of Fuller’s offending was such that we had to do it and the government is pleased to confirm that the Sexual Offenses Act 2003 will be amended as part of this legislation to cover sexual touching of a corpse , with a new maximum penalty of…”seven years for penetrative offenses and five years for non-penetrative acts.”

Dame Tracey said the changes would ensure “greater protection” in the future and provide “some comfort” to the families of Fuller’s victims as “justice has been considered”.

The necrophiliac double murderer was able to strike “unnoticed and uncontrolled” in a hospital morgue 444 times in one year, a damning investigation found last year.

The maintenance worker sexually abused the bodies of at least 101 women and girls aged between nine and 100 between 2005 and 2020 while employed at the now-closed Kent and Sussex Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury.

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He was already serving a life sentence for the sexually motivated murders of Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987 when police uncovered his systematic sexual abuse in hospital morgues.

The Fuller research also found that 79 percent of the relatives they spoke to chose to keep the abuse secret, while almost all (92 percent) described the damage to their physical and mental health.

About 50 percent of families also described how Fuller affected their memories of their loved ones, allowing them to look at photos longer or remember happier times.

The trust said it had not been informed of any possible disciplinary breaches or breaches of professional codes found by the investigation team, but added: “We will examine the report carefully to make our own assessment.”

In 2022, a state program was created to allow victims’ family members to receive compensation for the psychiatric trauma of the Fuller crimes and financial losses.

An examination of Fuller’s computer hard drive at his home in Heathfield, East Sussex, found 818,051 images and 504 videos of his abuse, as well as evidence of his “ongoing interest” in raping, abusing and murdering women.

Fuller filmed himself carrying out the attacks at the hospitals, where he worked as an electrical maintenance worker. He stored records of his serial sexual offenses in computer folders with titles such as “Necro Lord,” “Register,” “Deadly,” “Deadliest” and “Best Yet.”

Fuller’s victims included nurses, teachers, a pilot, a skier, a war veteran, and wives and mothers who raised families. Many were still wearing defibrillators and catheters as Fuller abused their bodies.