Thousands of taxpayers' money spent on Cannock Chase child killer's funeral - which even included floral tribute
The funeral of Cannock Chase child killer Raymond Morris was paid for with thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money, it has emerged.
The Ministry of Justice has revealed it cost £2,686 to cremate the murderer. The figure includes payment for a floral tribute for the 84-year-old, who died in prison last year.
Morris, of Green Lane, Walsall, was jailed in 1969 for the rape and murder of seven-year-old Walsall schoolgirl Christine Darby, two years previously.
The killer was also the prime suspect in the killings of Diane Tift, aged five, of Bloxwich, and Margaret Reynolds, six, of Aston, who vanished in 1965.
All three bodies were found dumped within miles of each other beside the A34 on Cannock Chase in 1966 and 1967. Each had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Details released under the Freedom of Information Act state the taxpayer-funded funeral bill included £285 for his coffin and a £15 floral tribute.
Father-of-two Morris died at HMP Preston in March last year while serving a life sentence. An inquest heard he died from chronic myeloid leukaemia.
Cannock councillor Maureen Freeman, a retired police officer who took part in the inquiry which led to Morris being brought to justice, said she was disgusted.
"Quite frankly if it is taxpayers' money it is quite appalling and disgusting," she said. "The man showed no remorse, nothing whatsoever in all these years."
In its response to the Freedom of Information request, the MoJ said a single floral tribute provided on behalf of the Prison Service was considered a 'reasonable' cost of prisoner funeral arrangements.
The response stated: "If a prisoner dies in custody in England and Wales the governor or director of the prison in which the death occurred is able to offer a financial contribution to cover reasonable expenses for a basic funeral.
"Prison Service Instruction 64/2011 advises that prisons must offer to pay a contribution towards reasonable funeral expenses of up to £3,000.
"This is considered to be moral and decent in the circumstances. The only exceptions are where a prisoner's family have a pre-paid funeral plan or are entitled to claim a grant from other government departments."
