In August 2002, Ian Huntley murdered ten-year-old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire. Their deaths shocked the nation and left two families with a grief that has never fully healed. Huntley died in prison on 7 March 2026, following an assault by a fellow inmate at HMP Frankland.

We are calling on the government to waive the standard death-in-custody provisions in this case.

Under current Ministry of Justice policy, the prison service is required to contribute up to £3,000 of public money towards funeral costs for any prisoner who dies in custody. Prison protocol also requires a memorial service to be organised through the prison chaplaincy. We believe these provisions should not apply to Ian Huntley.

Even Huntley's own daughter, Samantha Bryan, has made clear she does not believe he deserves a funeral or a grave. She is not alone. The families of Holly and Jessica have carried the weight of his crimes for over two decades. To use taxpayers' money, however modest the sum, to mark his passing with ceremony or dignity sends entirely the wrong message to those families, and to the public.

This petition calls on the Ministry of Justice to:

• Waive the £3,000 funeral contribution in Huntley's case
• Cancel any planned prison memorial service
• Review whether death-in-custody provisions should automatically apply to those convicted of the most serious crimes against children

Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman deserved better in life. Their families deserve better now.

Please sign if you believe public money should honour victims — not the people who took them.