'I believe this is a moral issue' - MP backs grieving family's campaign after they were denied a 'final goodbye' to son
A Shropshire MP has backed a campaign by a grieving family who were denied access to their son's body after he died in a crash.
Joe Baker, who grew up in the South Shropshire village of Purslow near Craven Arms, lost his life in Somerset on November 27, 2023 after a car crash.
He was a 20-year-old Royal Navy aircraft engineer who was en-route to the Royal Naval Air Station in Yeovilton when the event took place.
Mr Baker's family have spoken out about being denied access to him for ten days until he was transferred to the undertakers.
Following his death, Joe was taken to a "closed mortuary'" in Taunton and family members were not given access until ten days later.
The family has said that the ten-day wait was "excessive" and resulted in "agonising anguish", which they hope to prevent more families from having to experience.
They have launched a petition, calling for legislative change to ensure that further families have "immediate access to their deceased loves ones".
Now the family have been backed by South Shropshire MP Stuart Anderson who earlier this year requested an urgent review of protections to ensure that more families do not go through the same ordeal.
However, a the government said the The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) does not require mortuaries to allow families to view their deceased relatives.
Mr Anderson is now seeking to explore opportunities to find out why this is the case, given the family's situation.
He said: "Mrs Baker continues to bravely campaign for a change in law, having gained more signatories to standardise visiting practices in mortuaries. I believe that this is a moral issue which can achieve cross-party support.
"Grieving families should always be treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve, and to be able to spend time with their loved ones. So, I am concerned that Ministers have ruled out any changes to make this possible. I hope that work on this issue will soon be activated so that parents like Mrs Baker and their families can access the justice that they deserve."
