Justice Secretary David Lammy is facing mounting calls to block public funds being used for the funeral of Soham murderer Ian Huntley.
The convicted child killer died in hospital on Saturday following a brutal attack at HMP Frankland in Durham.
Huntley, aged 52, succumbed to his injuries nine days after being struck with a metal pole by another prisoner in a workshop on February 26.
Under current prison service protocols, the institution where an inmate dies in custody may be obligated to contribute as much as £3,000 towards burial costs.
The guidelines also require governors to arrange for a chaplain or religious figure to offer a memorial service for relatives, fellow inmates and staff.
A prison service source told The Times this could manifest as Huntley receiving a special acknowledgement during a regular Sunday service at HMP Frankland.
Ian Acheson, who previously served as a prison governor and is now a penal affairs expert, has urged Mr Lammy to block any such move.
"Lammy needs to be all over this," he told the newspaper.
David Lammy is facing mounting calls to block public funds being used for the funeral of the Soham killer
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"He will have the ability to override any prison service instruction, order or framework that might provide this to happen because that isn't law, it's just interpretations of the law."
Mr Acheson emphasised that any requirement for a memorial service could be countermanded by the Government.
"This will need to be handled very carefully because it'll be political dynamite if there's anything other than him being cremated and distributed into a field somewhere," he added.
The former governor warned that certain individuals might be drawn to Huntley's "sadistic, putrid notoriety" and stressed the importance of preventing anyone from exploiting his death.
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Ian Huntley died in hospital on Saturday following a brutal attack at HMP Frankland
| PA"It is of paramount importance that nothing is offered, done or said that could be misinterpreted or misappropriated by anyone to cause the two girls' families any further trauma or do anything other than a factual disposal of Huntley," Mr Acheson said.
"It would be just an absolute outrage if there was a memorial service for Huntley."
Huntley was serving a minimum 40-year life term for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both aged ten, in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002.
His daughter, Samantha Bryan, has expressed the view that his remains should be "flushed down the toilet".
Huntley was serving a minimum 40-year life term for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman
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Huntley could receive a special acknowledgement during a Sunday service at HMP Frankland
| GOOGLEThe Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it has no current plans for the prison service to conduct a funeral or memorial, though officials declined to exclude the possibility entirely.
Prison regulations stipulate that public money should cover only essential expenses such as basic coffins and undertakers' fees.
Any contribution must go directly to funeral directors, with instructions to minimise expenditure within the £3,000 ceiling.
The MoJ acknowledged that the killing of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman "remains one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation's history" and extended thoughts to their families.
Officials noted that funding funeral arrangements for prisoners who die whilst incarcerated represents longstanding practice.
Similar provisions applied to other infamous killers including Raymond Morris in 2014 and Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, in 2020.
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