The mother of one of David Fuller’s victims has said she is still fighting to get compensation for the impact of her daughter’s body being abused in a hospital mortuary.
Fuller, a hospital electrician, is known to have violated at least 100 corpses, often filming or photographing his crimes.
Nevres Kemal’s daughter Azra Kemal was 24 when she died before her body was sexually abused by Fuller three times in the mortuary of Tunbridge Wells Hospital in July 2020.
Ms Kemal told Sky News it was “a disgrace” she has to “prove that this has devastated me” as she fights to get compensation.
It comes as an inquiry into the case concluded that “offences such as those committed by David Fuller could happen again”.
The report by Sir Jonathan Michael found that “current arrangements in England for the regulation and oversight of the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and, in significant areas, completely lacking”.
Ms Kemal commended the report for being “honest” but also said it was “expensive”.
She added: “This is the most horrendous story this country has ever seen around the violation of dead people. Now we need legislation and a separate body to regulate these organisations.
“They are writing reports to help insure this will never happen again. But what about helping the people it’s already happened to?”
‘Traumatised’
Ms Kemal said she is in a battle for compensation and has to demonstrate how the crime has impacted her.
She said: “We have the burden of proof that this situation has traumatised us to a point that we either cannot work or it has made us unwell. It’s the burden of proof upon us, which is a disgrace.”
Read more:
Remembering ‘phenomenal’ Azra Kemal
How did Fuller evade justice for so long?
The first phase of the inquiry criticised the NHS trust’s poor management and lax security arrangements that allowed Fuller to access the morgue for 15 years and 444 times in one year alone, without raising suspicion.
“Azra was one of his prime targets,” says Ms Kemal.
“He accessed Azra’s Facebook. I spent time with Azra in the mortuary and that moment helped me heal. We spent two hours together.”
However, Ms Kemal later found out that her daughter’s body had been violated both before and after the visit.
She added: “It’s disgusting that we have to fight for compensation when it should be something that should be considered in a very sensitive way and looked at in a more transparent way.
“This government should ensure that people that have been wronged do not wait and beg for compensation.”
What did the inquiry uncover?
The first phase of the inquiry found Fuller, 70, was able to offend for 15 years in mortuaries without being suspected or caught due to “serious failings” at the hospitals where he worked.
Phase 2 of the inquiry has examined the broader national picture and considered if procedures and practices in other hospital and non-hospital settings, where deceased people are kept, safeguard their security and dignity.
Fuller was given a whole-life prison term in December 2021 for the murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.
During his time as a maintenance worker, he also abused the corpses of more than 100 women and girls at Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital before his arrest in December 2020.
His victims ranged in age from nine to 100.
Phase 1 of the inquiry found he entered one mortuary 444 times in the space of one year “unnoticed and unchecked” and that deceased people were also left out of fridges and overnight during working hours.
‘Could be a recurrence of appalling crimes’
Presenting the findings on Tuesday, Sir Jonathan said: “This is the first time that the security and dignity of people after death has been reviewed so comprehensively.
“Inadequate management, governance and processes helped create the environment in which David Fuller was able to offend for so long.”
He said that these “weaknesses” are not confined to where Fuller operated, adding that he found examples from “across the country”.
“I have asked myself whether there could be a recurrence of the appalling crimes committed by David Fuller. – I have concluded that yes, it is entirely possible that such offences could be repeated, particularly in those sectors that lack any form of statutory regulation.”
Sir Jonathan called for a statutory regulation to “protect the security and dignity of people after death”.
