David Fuller: Double murderer sentenced over more mortuary sex abuse

A erstwhile infirmary idiosyncratic who abused pistillate corpses has been sentenced for carrying retired further "depraved" acts.

David Fuller is already serving two whole-life tariffs for murdering Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce successful 1987.

He was besides antecedently sentenced for intersexual offences against 78 dormant women and girls betwixt 2008 and 2020.

Fuller, 68, from Heathfield successful East Sussex, appeared astatine the Old Bailey earlier wherever helium was sentenced to 4 years for abusing a further 23 women.

The erstwhile electrician abused the women implicit a 13-year play astatine hospitals successful Kent and Sussex.

Last period he admitted 12 counts of intersexual penetration of a corpse and 4 counts of possession of utmost pornography betwixt 2007 and 2020.

Sentencing Fuller earlier, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said helium had nary respect for the dignity of the dead, having habitually abused the spot placed successful him arsenic a infirmary worker.

His victims' relatives had had their memories "sullied and stolen", she said.

"They person been near successful a acheronian place. They person expressed the outrage and revulsion that the women you abused would person felt astatine your objectivisation of them."

Fuller filmed himself abusing corpses successful the mortuaries astatine the Tunbridge Wells Hospital and the erstwhile Kent & Sussex Hospital. He would spell into the morgues erstwhile different unit had left, often "visiting the aforesaid bodies repeatedly", his erstwhile proceedings was told.

The girl of 1 of his victims described to the tribunal earlier however she felt erstwhile she recovered retired astir the maltreatment of her mother, saying: "The symptom and affectional upset seared done my assemblage similar a knife."

Addressing Fuller directly, she said: "David, I privation you to cognize however overmuch harm you person caused, however your sick and twisted behaviour has damaged families similar mine.

"I'm pleased you are present being held accountable for what you did lone 7 hours aft she died."

Fuller worked successful electrical attraction astatine hospitals since 1989, and was astatine the Kent and Sussex Hospital until it closed successful September 2011.

He was transferred to the Tunbridge Wells Hospital astatine Pembury, wherever the offences continued until his apprehension successful 2020.

Kent Police said an probe had led to grounds relating to a full of 101 victims and the latest charges related to the 23 remaining victims, each of whom were deceased big women. Ten person not been identified.

During his archetypal trial, authoritative Duncan Atkinson QC said Fuller "systematically and repeatedly sexually abused" the bodies of the dormant women and girls.

He said they included a nine-year-old girl, 2 16-year-olds and a pistillate aged 100.

Fuller was fixed 2 whole-life presumption aft beating and strangling Ms Knell and Ms Pierce earlier sexually assaulting them successful 2 abstracted attacks successful Tunbridge Wells.

He was arrested aft advances successful DNA investigating - and a immense constabulary cognition costing £2.5m - linked him to the treble killings, dubbed "the Bedsit Murders".

Following his apprehension for the murders, a hunt of Fuller's location revealed helium had hoarded millions of indecent images and videos of children and utmost pornography connected hard drives, floppy discs, DVDs and representation cards successful his loft and spare room.

Two of the drives were hidden successful a box, which was screwed to the backmost of a thorax of drawers and placed wrong a wardrobe. On these drives officers recovered footage Fuller had recorded of himself abusing corpses successful the morgues.

Libby Clark from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Fuller's actions were depraved, disgusting and dehumanising, connected a standard that has ne'er been encountered earlier successful ineligible history."

Det Supt Ivan Beasley from Kent Police said: "Today's sentencing volition mean small to this abhorrent individual, who passim our probe has demonstrated nary remorse and lone a capableness for self-pity."

He said determination was nary grounds linking Fuller to immoderate different mortuary offences.

The authorities announced an autarkic enquiry into however Fuller went undetected until being arrested.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb highlighted the victims' achievements successful life, saying 1 had been a talented skier, 1 had worked astatine Bletchley Park during the Second World War, and others had worked arsenic teachers oregon successful the NHS.

Fuller sat impassively successful the dock passim the proceeding and did not respond to calls of "scum" from the nationalist assemblage arsenic helium was sent down.

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