Hospital electrician David Fuller who murdered two women and abused 99 corpses was spared jail for 'creeper' burglaries at Portsmouth Crown Court

A HOSPITAL electrician who murdered two women before molesting the corpses of 99 people in mortuaries was a ‘creeper’ burglar spared jail at Portsmouth Crown Court in the 1970s.
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Double murderer David Fuller filmed himself carrying out the attacks at mortuaries inside the now closed Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital, in Pembury, where he worked in electrical maintenance roles since 1989.

The 67-year-old’s victims included three children under the age of 18 and others older than 85 between 2008 and November 2020.

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The grim revelations come after part way through a trial he admitted murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and 20-year-old Caroline Pierce, who were both from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.

Photo issued by Kent Police of David Fuller who has pleaded guilty to murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.Photo issued by Kent Police of David Fuller who has pleaded guilty to murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.
Photo issued by Kent Police of David Fuller who has pleaded guilty to murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.

On Thursday he admitted the murders some 34 years after he beat, strangled, and sexually assaulted the two women.

He was finally arrested for the crimes dubbed the ‘bedsit murders’ in December last year following a DNA breakthrough.

It has now emerged Fuller was convicted of ‘creeper-type’ domestic burglaries often involving break-ins through rear windows in the 1970s.

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He pleaded guilty to three domestic burglaries at Portsmouth Crown Court, with 23 other offences taken into consideration, in 1973 and a further offence in 1977, with three other offences taken into consideration, but he was never jailed.

Photo issued by Kent Police of David Fuller who has pleaded guilty to murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.Photo issued by Kent Police of David Fuller who has pleaded guilty to murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.
Photo issued by Kent Police of David Fuller who has pleaded guilty to murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.

Kent police has now released footage from Fuller’s police interview regarding the mortuary offences.

Admitting the sexual penetration of corpses in the mortuary, Fuller told police: ‘I want to admit…I am admitting the offences but I don’t really want to go into detail.’

Fuller, sitting at a table wearing a blue jumper, dark face mask and glasses, was asked what offences he was admitting and he said: ‘As you’ve just described to me.’

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And the interviewer replied: ‘In terms of the sexual penetration of corpses.’

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Fuller said ‘yes’ in the middle of that response.

His shocking crimes were only discovered after he was arrested for the 1987 ‘bedsit murders’ of Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in December last year following a DNA breakthrough.

Investigators have so far detected 99 potential victims, of which they know the names of 78.

Fuller said in police interview that he did not know how many times it happened.

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He was asked if he had recorded himself sexually penetrating corpses and he replied: ‘I admit the offences.’

Asked what he retained the recordings for, Fuller said “I don’t know”, and asked if it was for ‘further sexual pleasure’, he said ‘no’.

Fuller was asked if he knew why he started, and he said ‘no’, and said he could not remember the first time.

He said he recorded the names and ages of his victims, and asked why he recorded what was going on, Fuller said: ‘I don’t know why.’

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Fuller was asked where he stored the images and video from the mortuary offences and he said: ‘On the storage device that you found.’

Asked to be more specific, Fuller said on an ‘external drive’.

Police released body-worn footage of officers finding hard drives that were attached to the back of a chest of drawers in Fuller’s office.

Footage of officers finding a notebook detailing mortuary victims in a search of Fuller’s office was also released.

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