Health Secretary Sajid Javid branded the case “shocking and depraved”
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has announced an independent inquiry into the case of a hospital worker who murdered two women and sexually abused dozens of corpses.
David Fuller admitted to murdering then sexually assaulting two women decades before carrying out dozens of sex attacks on corpses in mortuaries at Kent hospitals.
The probe will look into the “circumstances surrounding the offences committed at the hospital and the national implications”, Mr Javid told MPs.
Former NHS boss Sir Jonathan Michael will chair the inquiry, with an interim report expected early next year.
Mr Javid said: “Given the scale and the nature of these sexual offences, I believe that we must go further.
“Today I can announce that I am replacing the trust investigation with an independent inquiry.
“The inquiry will look into the circumstances surrounding the offences committed at the hospital, and their national implications.
“It will help us understand how these offences took place without detection in the trust, identify any areas where early action by this trust was necessary, and then consider wider national issues, including for the NHS.”
Mr Javid said ministers had a responsibility to “everyone affected by these shocking crimes”.
“Nothing we can say in this place will undo the damage that has been done, but we must act to make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again,” he said.
This breaking story is being updated.
