NHS boss at morgue monster David Fuller hospitals promoted before sicko exposed

02 December 2023 , 18:56

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Former NHS trust boss Glenn Douglas (Image: PA)

An NHS chief who ran hospitals where a sex killer filmed himself abusing corpses was promoted before the scandal was exposed.

An inquiry’s report into David Fuller’s crimes questioned the conduct of Glenn Douglas, who was chief executive of Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Trust between 2007 and 2017. During that time and until his arrest in 2020, Fuller abused the bodies of 101 women and girls in ­mortuaries. Mr Douglas – on £200,000 a year – left in 2018 for another plum NHS job running six clinical commissioning groups before reportedly retiring in 2019.

A former colleague said: “Douglas walked off into the sunset a lot wealthier. The victims of Fuller have been left with a lifetime of pain.” Fuller was an electrical maintenance supervisor at the now-shut Kent and Sussex Hospital and then the Tunbridge Wells Hospital. The inquiry said he visited the mortuary 444 times in one year without being checked or noticed.

Sex fiend David Fuller (Sky UK)

Last week’s report said Fuller was not caught due to “serious failings” – and senior management were aware of problems in the running of the mortuary from 2008.

Mr Douglas was told of a serious incident about retained tissue in 2010. The report says: “The clinical director of pathology, Dr Mum-ford, was sufficiently concerned that she reported it to the chief executive.”

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Mr Douglas told the inquiry: “It was not an area I had any reason to have any concern about and no concerns were directly raised in terms of the ­management of it.” But the report goes on: “This statement was also contradicted by [another person’s] evidence. She was clear that she kept Mr Douglas informed of all issues related to the mortuary that would cause concern.”

Fuller is a necrophiliac double murderer (CPS / SWNS)

The staff member said: “We started to get a few alarm bells.” The report added: “[She] was clear she would have reported concerns about the mortuary to her line manager, Glenn Douglas.”

Tory MP Nigel Mills said: “Glenn Douglas needs to make a full and frank apology for what happened on his watch. While the offending was ongoing, he left to be given a cushy promotion. Then it looks like he retired on a very nice taxpayer pension.

“All from being in charge of a trust employing this monster. The report makes clear warning signs were there.”

Fuller’s crimes emerged in 2020 when police found images on his computer after his arrest for the 1987 murders of Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20. The 69-year-old is now serving a whole-life term. The trust was approached for comment.

Isaac Crowson