Ian Huntley seriously injured in assault at HMP Frankland
ian huntley, the man serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was taken to hospital with serious head injuries after being attacked at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning, a police statement said.
Ian Huntley attacked inside HMP Frankland
The assault took place in a prison workshop at HMP Frankland in County Durham on Thursday morning and left the 52-year-old with serious head injuries, prison and police statements said.
Police and prison responses
Durham Constabulary said: "Police were alerted to an assault which had taken place within HMP Frankland in Durham this morning. " The force added: "A male prisoner suffered serious injuries during the incident and was transported to hospital. " A spokesman for the Prison Service said a prisoner is receiving treatment after an incident at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning and that it would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate.
Suspect held and early investigation details
Durham Constabulary said a male prisoner in his mid-40s suspected of carrying out the attack was "in detention" but had not been arrested "at this stage"; detectives are liaising with prison staff as the investigation continues.
Ambulance call and hospital transfer
The North East ambulance service received a call at 9. 23 a. m. on Thursday 26 February 2026 reporting an incident at HM Prison Frankland and dispatched two ambulance crews, requesting support from the Great North air ambulance service; one patient was transported to hospital by road.
How the attack was carried out and initial reports
A newspaper that first reported the attack said Huntley was beaten with a metal pole and that he was knocked unconscious; the paper his condition was "touch and go. " An air ambulance was dispatched to the prison, but the injured inmate was taken to hospital by road.
The Soham murders and Huntley’s conviction
Huntley is serving a life sentence for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who went missing on 4 August 2002 in Soham, Cambridgeshire, and were found dead two weeks later in a ditch near an air base in Lakenheath, Suffolk.
The girls had been missing for 13 days during a search that involved 400 police officers assigned full-time to the case and investigators questioning every registered sex offender in Cambridgeshire and neighbouring Lincolnshire.
Huntley, originally from Grimsby and working as the caretaker at Soham Village College, enticed both schoolgirls into his home, murdered them and dumped their bodies some 12 miles away, court material shows. During his trial at the Old Bailey, prosecutor Richard Latham QC described Huntley as "ruthless" and called his account of both deaths "desperate lies. " In his evidence Huntley claimed Holly died accidentally after falling into his bath when he was helping her with a nosebleed.
Prison context and risk of further attacks
HMP Frankland is a category A prison housing a number of high-profile inmates, including Michael Adebolajo, Levi Bellfield and Wayne Couzens. Violent incidents there are not uncommon: in April last year three prison officers were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, including burns and stab wounds, after being allegedly attacked with hot cooking oil and homemade weapons by an inmate, Hashem Abedi, the brother of Salman Abedi.
Huntley would have been held under Rule 43 in the prison unit for vulnerable inmates, mostly sex offenders and police informants, but commentators on the prison system warned that protection is not absolute. Mark Leech, editor of the Prisons Handbook, said: "The upcoming young thugs in prison see people like Huntley as a way of gaining kudos, especially if they are already serving lengthy sentences. " If Huntley recovers, he will always be vulnerable to another attack, the commentary added.
What happens next
Police confirmed a criminal investigation is under way and detectives are liaising with prison staff; the prisoner remains in hospital receiving treatment and the prison declined further comment while the inquiry continues.
