Stuart Anderson MP is supporting a local family that was denied access to their son’s body after he died in a tragic car crash last year. Joe Baker, who grew up in the South Shropshire village of Purslow near Craven Arms, lost his life after the event took place in Somerset on 27th November 2023.
Joe Baker was a 20-year-old Royal Navy aircraft engineer, who was enroute to the Royal Naval Air Station in Yeovilton when the devastating event took place. Following the tragic event, Joe was taken to a ‘closed mortuary’ in Taunton.
Family members were not given access until ten days later, when Joe was transferred to the undertakers. The family told Stuart that the ten-day wait was "excessive" and have launched a petition, calling for change to ensure the situation – which they said resulted in “agonising anguish” – does not repeat for other families.
"We weren't even told a date or time that we could bring him home", the family said. The family have since learnt that the post-mortem was completed on 29th November, which was just two days after Joe's tragic death.
The petition requests legislative change to ensure that families have “immediate access to their deceased loved ones”. Setting out their request in the petition, the family have said: “We ask everyone to join us in our cause, ensuring no family has to endure the additional sorrow of being denied a final goodbye.”
The family are looking for a change in the law so that a person's next of kin can visit a mortuary as soon as they request it. They have said that this would avoid further families from having to go through the untold stress of wondering what has happened to their loved one.
Stuart has now written to the Government, requesting urgent action to be taken given the gravity of the situation. In his letter to the Health Secretary, Stuart has requested a review of protections to ensure that families in similar circumstances do not have to go through the same ordeal.
The family added: "It is in Joe's memory and the unbearable pain we were put through that we initiate this petition. Families shouldn't have to fight for the right to mourn their loved ones appropriately. These deaths are already tragic; they do not need to be made more painful by unnecessary bureaucracy and legalities."
Access to a mortuary by external visitors is covered by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) licensing standards. These require establishments to have in place documented policies for viewing of bodies by family members and others, such as the Police.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“Only twenty years old, Joe Baker was a young man dedicated to serving his country in the Royal Navy. Yet, his life was devastatingly cut short after a tragic car crash enroute to the Royal Naval Air Station in Yeovilton last November. His family have bravely spoken out about being denied access to Joe for ten days until he was transferred from a closed mortuary to the undertakers. Grieving families should always be treated with dignity and respect that they deserve, and be able to spend time with their loved ones. I have written to the Health Secretary to request an urgent review of protections to ensure more families do not go through the same ordeal."
The family's petition has gained more than 1,600 signatures. By mid-December, they aim to have at least 2,000 signatures. For more details and to sign the petition, please visit www.change.org/p/change-for-joe-baker-ensuring-all-families-have-immediate-access-to-deceased-at-musgrove.
