Soham killer Ian Huntley was cremated without any funeral service or mourners, it has been reported.
Huntley was jailed in December 2003 for a minimum of 40 years for murdering ten-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman the previous year.
He was left in a comatose state after being attacked by a fellow inmate in HMP Frankland, the high-security facility in County Durham where he spent the latter part of his sentence.
Last month an inquest heard he suffered a fatal head injury after being struck nine times with a three-foot metal bar in a prison workshop.
He was taken to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary and placed in a medically induced coma before passing away on March 7, 2026.
Inmate Anthony Russell, 43, who was serving a whole life order for triple murder and rape, has been charged with Huntley’s murder.
Following his death, Huntley received a taxpayer-funded cremation in a £265 eco-friendly coffin.
His family are believed to have declined the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) offer of a £3,000 funeral as a show of respect to the families of his victims.
Ian Huntley, 52, was cremated in a £265 eco-friendly coffin in a funeral paid for by the taxpayer, but there was no funeral, service or mourners
‘A trusted undertaker took his body away,’ a source told The Sun.
‘There was no funeral, no service and no mourners. His family was adamant – how could he have a funeral after what he did?
‘Their thoughts remain with the victims and their families, and that’s why he will not be mourned. He was cremated and that was it, nothing more.’
The MoJ spent close to £2,000 on cremating Huntley. The Ministry also spent £265 on a ‘jute natural coffin’, made from natural, biodegradable materials that provide minimal environmental impact.
Under the MoJ’s standard practice for covering basic funeral expenses, money is paid directly to the funeral director and does not cover the cost of wakes, headstones or burial plots.
It was reported the coffin was selected because it was the most cost-effective option.
A petition signed by 64,000 called for the MoJ not to use taxpayer funds to pay for his funeral.
The prison service can pay up to £3,000 of taxpayer cash for funerals and memorial services for inmates who die in custody.
The MoJ spent £1,915 on Huntley’s cremation, including £625 for ‘professional services’, £585 for the ‘direct unattended’ cremation, £275 to transfer his body from hospital, £65 for a cremation casket, and £100 for staff attendance and supervision, according to The Independent.
Inmate Anthony Russell, 43, has been charged with Huntley’s murder after the Soham murderer was attacked at HMP Frankland in February
Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered by Ian Huntley in 2002 after he lured them to his home
Previous prisoners who have had their costs paid for by the state include Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe in 2020 and child killer Raymond Morris in 2014.
Huntley’s ashes were set to be returned to his mother, Lynda Richards, as his next of kin, next month.
It was reported that Ms Richards visited Huntley in hospital, where he was said to be in a vegetative state after his life support machine was switched off.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: ‘The murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman remain one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation’s history, and our thoughts are with their families.’
In August 2002 Huntley lured ten-year-olds Holly and Jessica – who had set off from a family barbecue to buy sweets – to his home where he murdered them and dumped their bodies in a drainage ditch near RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. They were not found for two weeks.
Due to the high-profile nature of Huntley’s crime and his subsequent notoriety as a child killer, he was repeatedly targeted by vigilantes throughout his time in prison.
He was initially held at HMP Wakefield, where in 2005 he was scalded with boiling water by another lag.
In October the following year he was said to have been held at knifepoint after being ambushed by a fellow inmate on his way back to his cell after eating.
He was transferred to HMP Frankland in 2008. In March 2010 he had his throat slashed with a makeshift blade by convicted murderer Damien Fowkes, requiring 21 stitches.
Huntley also made a series of suicide attempts during his time in detention, initially attempting a drug overdose in June 2003 while awaiting trial.
In September 2006, he was found unconscious in his cell following a second suspected OD attempt.
Prison authorities rushed him to Pinderfields Hospital, where he had his stomach pumped before being returned to his cell.
