David Fuller (born 4 September 1954) is an engineer, convicted English

murderer Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

and

necrophile Necrophilia, also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, is sexual attraction towards or a sexual act involving corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its ' ...

. In 2021, he was convicted of the murders of Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, whom he strangled and

sexually assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

ed after breaking into their homes, months apart in 1987, in

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. ...

, Kent, in what became known as the Bedsit murders. The killer's DNA had been known since a cold case review in 2007, and analysis of the samples in the two cases would later prove that the murders were committed by the same unidentified perpetrator. Fuller was eventually identified as the perpetrator in 2020 when a match was made between his DNA and the samples from the case. When finally apprehended Fuller also received 12 years for mortuary offences, having recorded himself abusing the bodies of more than 100 female corpses, over the course of his employment as an electrician at the

Kent and Sussex Hospital The Kent and Sussex Hospital was a district general hospital located on Mount Ephraim in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England serving the West Kent and East Sussex areas. It was managed by the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust until it clos ...

, also in Tunbridge Wells, and the

Tunbridge Wells Hospital Tunbridge Wells Hospital is a large district general hospital in Pembury near Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, run by the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. The hospital is located on Tonbridge Road, around to the north-west of Pem ...

in nearby

Pembury Pembury is a large village in Kent, in the south east of England, with a population of 6,128 at the 2011 Census. It lies just to the north-east of Royal Tunbridge Wells. The village centre, including the village green and High Street area is a ...

which replaced it. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a

whole life order In England and Wales, life imprisonment is a sentence that lasts until the death of the prisoner, although in most cases the prisoner will be eligible for early release after a minimum term set by the judge. In exceptional cases, however, a jud ...

on 15 December 2021, meaning that he will serve his life sentence without the possibility of parole. In October 2021, Fuller was charged with an additional 16 offences committed at mortuaries in the now-closed Kent and Sussex Hospital, and its successor, the Tunbridge Wells hospital at Pembury, between 2007 and 2020, and pleaded guilty to the charges on 3 November 2022. He is imprisoned at

HMP Frankland HM Prison Frankland is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom, Category A men's prison located in the village of Brasside in County Durham, England. Frankland is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Frankland was origina ...

, alongside other prisoners such as

Wayne Couzens Wayne may refer to: People with the given name and surname * Wayne (given name) * Wayne (surname) Geographical Places with name ''Wayne'' may take their name from a person with that surname; the most famous such person was Gen. "Mad" Anthon ...

and Michael Stone.

Personal life

Fuller was married three times. He met his first victim, Wendy Knell, at the SupaSnaps store where she was the manager; he often took in his photographs to be developed there. He was interested in

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...

, cycling and photography. He was an unofficial photographer for London

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Cutting Crew Cutting Crew are an English rock band formed in London in 1985. They are best known for their debut album ''Broadcast'' and hit single, " (I Just) Died in Your Arms". History 1985–1986: Formation While still in his teens, Nick Van Eede (b ...

and in 1985 accompanied them on tour with his second wife Sally.

References

1954 births 20th-century British criminals British male criminals British people convicted of murder British prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Criminals from Kent Living people Necrophiles People convicted of murder by England and Wales Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by England and Wales {{UK-crime-bio-stub