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Written Question
Necrophilia: Sentencing
Monday 10th January 2022

Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to extend the maximum sentence for necrophilia from two years for cases that are consecutive.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The government is reviewing the statutory maximum penalty available for the offence of sexual penetration of a corpse under section 70 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This review is taking place alongside the independent inquiry into the events surrounding David Fuller’s horrific offending in hospitals in Kent. That inquiry is due to publish interim findings shortly, with a final report published at a later date. Our review of available maximum penalties is likely to follow similar timescales, to ensure findings from the wider inquiry can be taken into account.

The current statutory maximum penalty is for one offence; where more than one offence is sentenced at the same time, each offence will be sentenced individually and the overall sentence passed will reflect the totality of offending behaviour, which may mean sentences being served consecutively. Our review of the statutory maximum penalty is considering instances of the commission of multiple, as well as single, offences.


Written Question
Necrophilia: Sentencing
Monday 10th January 2022

Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the Government's timescale is for the decision on whether to extend the maximum sentence for necrophilia.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The government is reviewing the statutory maximum penalty available for the offence of sexual penetration of a corpse under section 70 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This review is taking place alongside the independent inquiry into the events surrounding David Fuller’s horrific offending in hospitals in Kent. That inquiry is due to publish interim findings shortly, with a final report published at a later date. Our review of available maximum penalties is likely to follow similar timescales, to ensure findings from the wider inquiry can be taken into account.

The current statutory maximum penalty is for one offence; where more than one offence is sentenced at the same time, each offence will be sentenced individually and the overall sentence passed will reflect the totality of offending behaviour, which may mean sentences being served consecutively. Our review of the statutory maximum penalty is considering instances of the commission of multiple, as well as single, offences.


Written Question
Domestic Abuse: Criminal Proceedings
Monday 27th February 2017

Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to her speech on criminal justice reform of 13 February 2017 at the Centre for Social Justice, what proportion of domestic abuse victims were cross-examined by their attacker in the most recent year for which data is available.

Answered by Phillip Lee

MoJ does not collect data on the number of domestic abuse victims who were cross-examined by their attacker. However, the Government has recently confirmed it will be legislating to prevent abusers from questioning their victims in person in family proceedings.