AIBU to question why taxpayers should fund Ian Huntley’s cremation?

It will be in line with a standard funeral for anyone else who cannot afford to pay, cremation with a basic service in the smallest chapel at the crem, one modest spray of flowers is included, nothings more fancy. I’ve organised and attended several due to my work in different jurisdictions. The family are not to blame

And you definitely cannot flush ashes down the toilet. They float for one thing. You’d still be trying to get rid of residual ash weeks later.

Direct cremation and chuck in the bin, which conveniently is exactly what is going to happen unless somebody claims his ashes.

Pauper’s funerals are a thing OP. I doubt Ian Huntley had many assets and if you die with no money yourself, the state will pay to cremate you too, because it is better than slinging corpses on landfill sites.

It will be a very basic cremation, he won’t have a horse drawn carriage and doves released, and we aren’t paying for his family to have a knees-up.

I think that it is something that people do because their deceased loved one specifically wanted it.

Starting price for a burial at sea is £2185 but can exceed £7000 . . .

Maybe some people think that prisons have their own morgue and ways to dispose (sorry, I don't think that is a great word but I can't think of a better one) of bodies.

I am pretty sure sea burials is a heavily regulated thing, and would cost more than the £3k that is available to use.

I think a quiet state cremation is preferable to something that could end up as a big deal on the front of all newspapers.

Yeah, do people think he died in a prison in the middle of the sea and can just be rolled over the side or something? Undertakers don't usually have boats, whereas we do have systems that are set up for cremation. It's an extra layer of logistics, participants and probably expense, for absolutely no benefit.

You implied that she hadn't suffered enough.

Yep.

Corpses have to be safely disposed of, for the sake of public health. That isn't free, or optional. The state shouldn't be able to force people to pay for the funerals of family members.

Unless there is a person specified in the deceased’s will, the NOK is deemed to be the closest living relative and the daughter would take precedent. He doesn’t need to be on the birth certificate as long as she accepts she’s his daughter and there’s no contest.

Whilst determining a NOK can be very flexible at a healthcare level, when dealing with estates of the deceased, there is an order of succession to follow.

This is so true

And the police investigation, court case, cost of imprisonment over the years and other costs (I believe the caretakers house in Soham had to be totally dismantled) has no doubt run to millions of pounds so a final couple of thousand is nothing in comparison to what has already been spent

This thread is batshit and YABVVU

You can't just "get rid" of a body by whatever means. There are strict laws and protocols about transporting and dealing with the earthly remains of someone.

I doubt it will cost £3k. DF is being cremated next week and the cost of it all is £1200. The cost to you as a taxpayer is not even worth worrying about. It is way less than 1p to you personally.

What did you think happened to the remains of people who died in prison?

there are lots of things wrong with the justice system, but this just isn't one of them.

it's not like it's a big fancy funeral. It's disposing of his remains. that needs to be done.

Agree with this. £3k is a small price to pay to finally be rid of that waste of oxygen for good. At least to the cost of imprisoning him for decades. Let’s just get on with it, move on and hopefully allow the Wells and Chapman families to once again get on with their lives without his name ever cropping up again.

There is no legal next of kin as such and I assume hes not on the birth certificate
So he wouldn't be legally recognised as her Father.

Exactly.

It's similar to the other thread where people were displaying outrage they were having to pay taxes to keep prisoners like Huntley locked up in prison while offering no alternative to what we do with them or who would pay the £85,000 a year (or whatever it costs to keep them locked up)

I mean don't get me wrong, I'd rather people didn't commit such henious crimes but if taxpayers don't pay to keep them locked up, then the alternative is they roam the streets free to commit again then it's a cost I'm willing to pay.

It doesnt matter how many peoole sign the petition
His body needs disposing of as a matter of public health
What else would you do with it throw it out on the street?

Why does she need to have known him?

She’ll actually be his next of kin. Not his Mum. So it’s not outside the realm possibility that she could claim the ashes

I dont think she actually knew him?

I'd personally consider paying 1k to ensure the OP never gets into a position of power with the ability to make decisions on public spending.

This is sort of what I’m thinking. If his mum did take it pay for a private memorial or whatever, she’d be slagged off by people for doing that for murdering scum. ‘Why don’t you let the state dispose of him’? Etc.

I’m just not getting the outrage. The guy is dead, just dispose of him already, don't care who pays!

I agree. You might as well ask why he's been housed and fed by the tax payer instead of his mother paying. He's a vile piece of shit but we are not barbarians.

I haven’t read a thread that’s made me roll my eyes so hard in a long time.

Its not a debatable issue because this policy is in place for a very good reason. I hate that I have to point it out but the only alternative to the state not arranging a disposal for someone like IH is that the state doesn’t arrange a disposal for anybody. It is impossible to take on a case by case basis, where do you draw the line? Who makes those judgements?

No state disposals could mean:
If the uncle that SA’d you as a child dies and you’re his next of kin, you need to pay for his funeral.
If you’ve not been in contact with your abusive mother for 30 years but you’re her next of kin, you need to pay for her funeral.
If you’ve fled your abusive spouse for your safety and they die and you’re next of kin, you’re going to need to pay for a funeral.

Don’t forget funerals aren’t just a financial burden, the emotional toll, especially in a very complex case can be devastating. I can’t even begin to imagine what lies in his mother’s head but I’d bet my mortgage it’s a total horror show. It surprises me that so many people on this thread knows exactly what she thinks and feels…..

IH will never die until you stop letting him live rent free in your mind. Choose not to waste any more of your energy on him. That’s the best we could all do now.

No, he must have been cremated. A funeral is the ceremony. The ceremony is optional.