Dignity in Life vs. Dignity in Death: The David Fuller Inquiry and the Need for Proportionate Justice Against Crimes of Necrophilia in British Law

The necrophilic crimes committed by David Fuller over a 15-year period led to an independent inquiry, known as the David Fuller Inquiry, which assessed how he was able to carry out the sexual abuse of corpses undetected for so long. Fuller was imprisoned in 2021 for two murders and the abuse of over 100 female corpses during his time as a Maintenance Worker at Kent and Sussex Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital. Phase 1 of the David Fuller Inquiry concluded in November 2023, providing 17 recommendations for the NHS to prevent offences of this nature from occurring again. This article critically examines the victims’ family accounts presented in Chapter 1 of the Phase 1 Report and reflects on these accounts within the broader context of dignity after death. Recommendation 17, which focuses on dignity and safeguarding, is also critically assessed within a wider framework that considers the 2003 Sexual Offences Act, proportional justice, and dignity after death under British law.