David Fuller: Morgue abuse victim's son calls payout offer 'derisory'

Alan Knights says the compensation he has been offered is "derisory"

The son of a woman whose body was abused in a hospital mortuary has described a payout offer of £7,500 as "derisory and deeply insulting".

Hospital electrician David Fuller, of East Sussex, abused the corpses of at least 100 women and girls in two Kent morgues over 12 years.

Alan Knights' mother Jane died from a stroke at the age of 100, and is believed to be Fuller's oldest victim.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said negotiations were ongoing.

In December 2021, Fuller was sentenced to two whole-life tariffs for murdering Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in Tunbridge Wells in 1987.

Detectives investigating the murders discovered videos and photos hidden in his Heathfield home of abuse in the mortuaries of the Kent and Sussex Hospital and its replacement, the Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury.

Kent Police has identified 87 of the victims.

Jane Knights is believed to have been David Fuller's oldest victim

Lawyers of victims' families have told them while the NHS Trust has not legally accepted it has the responsibility to compensate them, it is offering £7,500 in damages, with possible additional payments of up to £15,000 in recognition of "diagnosable psychiatric injuries suffered".

Mr Knights said: "I've been having trouble sleeping, I've been struggling to get the thought of what he did to my dear mum out of my head. I don't think any of us will get closure till we get the justice we deserve."

He said he was "aghast" when he was told of the £7,500 sum.

"You hear in America millions of pounds in payouts. I didn't expect that from the NHS but I expected a little bit more.

"I didn't want to come across as being mercenary but I believe my mum and the family need justice and also they need compensation, and that doesn't approach it one iota."

A spokesperson for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said: "NHS Resolution is still in discussion with solicitors representing the families. We are keen to reach a fair and speedy agreement as soon as possible."

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