The health secretary has announced an independent inquiry into the David Fuller case and has apologised to victims’ families.

Fuller, a 67-year-old hospital electrician, admitted murdering, then sexually assaulting two women over 30 years ago, and also admitted to carrying out sex attacks on dozens of dead bodies in the morgue of the hospital where he worked.

He used access granted to him as a NHS maintenance worker to assault his victims, aged from nine to a 100-years-old, in mortuaries in Kent.

The inquiry will look into the circumstances surrounding the offences to help the government understand how they took place without being detected.

“We must act to make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again,” Sajid Javid said.

Last week the NHS ordered all health trusts to review mortuary access and post-mortem activities.