Details of the inquiry into murderer and necrophiliac David Fuller's crimes and how he was able to commit them have been outlined.

The terms of reference for the independent review have been published after the chair of the inquiry - Sir Jonathan Michael - and his team sought the views of the families of some of the people Fuller sexually assaulted and raped at hospitals around Kent.

Fuller, 67, was jailed for life for the murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in Tunbridge Wells in 1987.

But it was also discovered the former electrician had been raping and sexually assaulting more than 100 corpses in hospital mortuaries.

Documents recently published revealed the inquiry will be in two parts - first an initial report on matters relating to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells to be completed by the middle of 2022, with the second part a report looking at the broader national picture and wider lessons for the NHS and other settings, to be completed by the middle of 2023.

It says an important part of the inquiry is to "afford families who have been affected by David Fuller's actions to be heard".

It added: "Staff of the Trust and of Fuller's private sector employers who have been affected by his actions will also have an opportunity to share their experiences with the inquiry.

"The inquiry will make sure that families and others affected by the actions of Fuller can share their experiences and information with it in ways that are supportive and sensitive."

The inquiry will also hear from the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and other regulatory bodies, and promises to keep all families involved informed of the progress.

Phase One of the inquiry will consider how Fuller was employed between 1989 and 2020 and whether appropriate checks were carried out, as well as determining what access he had to the mortuaries and whether he was subject to appropriate supervision.

It will also look into other evidence of inappropriate or unlawful activities by Fuller elsewhere on the trust premises, to review complaints or concerns about his behaviour and to check whether the trust's management of the mortuaries were in accordance with the relevant standards.

Phase Two will consider whether procedures and practices in hospital and non-hospital settings would prevent a recurrence of matters raised by Fuller's crimes.

It will also consider the role of regulators and their use of regulatory measures in assuring mortuary practices safeguarded the security and dignity of the deceased in all settings, and consider the effectiveness of the national regulatory regime.

Sir Jonathan Michael, chair of the inquiry, said:“On my appointment, I made the commitment that I would seek the views of the families affected by Fuller’s actions on the inquiry’s draft terms of reference, to ensure they remain at the heart of this investigation.

"All the families who gave consent via Kent Police to be contacted by the inquiry, or who approached the inquiry directly to give their consent, were contacted and invited to share their views on our draft terms of reference. I would like to extend my gratitude to families for the considered responses that we received.

"Now that the terms of reference have been published, we can begin our work to collect evidence and information both from those who have been affected, and from the organisations involved.

"We are already in contact with many of them. But I urge anyone else affected by, or with information about, the issues involved in our inquiry to contact us as soon as possible – your views, experiences and knowledge could be vital to our work.

'My team and I are focused on pressing ahead...'

"My team and I are focused on pressing ahead so that families can receive the answers they need and deserve, and changes are made to prevent a recurrence of the atrocities committed by David Fuller.”

It comes after families of Fuller's victims were upset about a lack of communication between the inquiry team.

Earlier this month solicitors representing some of the families took legal action by calling for a judicial review in their campaign to get a public inquiry.

Neves Kemal, mother of Azra Kemal who died in Kent and was one of Fuller's victims, is one of many families supporting the decision.

Sallie Booth, a partner at Irwin Mitchell representing Ms Kemal and other families, said: “The families of the victims we represent strongly feel that the inquiry as it stands is not independent and does not have the power to properly look into at all of the evidence.

"A full statutory public inquiry is needed to get to the truth of what happened and why he was not prevented from carrying out his crimes and for so long.

"The application for judicial review is the next step in achieving this which we believe is the only way that our clients will feel that their voices have been heard properly and that justice has been done.”