Prison Service spends over £2,500 on funeral for child-killer

The Prison Service paid for Raymond Morris' funeral including a £15 floral tribute Credit: Caroline Seidel/DPA/PA

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed that the Prison Service spent £2,686 on the funeral of a notorious child-killer who died behind bars.

A Freedom of Information Act request to the MoJ by the Birmingham-based Sunday Mercury revealed that the cost of Raymond Morris' funeral included £15 for a floral tribute.

The MoJ's response also stated that the 84-year-old's coffin cost £285 - with the same amount spent on hygienic preservation treatment and a room of repose.

Morris, originally from Walsall, died at HMP Preston in March last year while serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl whose body was found on Cannock Chase in 1967.

He was also suspected of murdering at least two other missing girls.

Morris, originally from Walsall, died at HMP Preston in March last year. Credit: Betty Longbottom

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.

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Update: A Ministry of Justice source said: “Taxpayers' money should not - and in future will not - be spent on flowers for offenders who die in prison.”