Ian Huntley seriously injured in prison attack at HMP Frankland
ian huntley, the 52-year-old serving a life sentence for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002, was left with serious head injuries after an assault at HMP Frankland and was taken to hospital on Thursday morning. The attack has prompted a police inquiry and raised fresh questions about violence at the high-security prison in County Durham.
Ian Huntley attacked in a prison workshop, taken to hospital
Prison staff alerted police after an assault that took place within HMP Frankland in Durham on Thursday morning. A Durham police spokesman said: "Police were alerted to an assault which had taken place within HMP Frankland in Durham this morning. " He added: "A male prisoner suffered serious injuries during the incident and was transported to hospital. " The 52-year-old prisoner is receiving treatment for head injuries and remains in a serious condition in hospital following treatment for those injuries.
Suspect identified and held in detention but not arrested at this stage
Durham Constabulary said a male prisoner in his mid-40s suspected of carrying out the attack has been placed in detention within the prison and has not been arrested at this stage. Police investigators have identified a suspect and are liaising with prison staff, and forensic teams have examined the scene of the workshop assault to gather evidence.
Ambulance response: call logged at 9. 23am and air ambulance stood by
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said they received a call at 9. 23am on Thursday 26 February 2026 ET reporting an incident at HM Prison Frankland. Two ambulance crews were dispatched and support was requested from the Great North air ambulance service; one patient was transported to hospital by road. An air ambulance was seen near the prison during the incident but was not used to convey the injured prisoner to hospital.
Case history: the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002
The injured prisoner was convicted of killing two 10-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The girls left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on 4 August 2002 and were missing for 13 days during a search that involved 400 police officers assigned full-time to the case. Their bodies were found in a ditch near an air base in Lakenheath, Suffolk two weeks after they disappeared, and investigators say the bodies had been dumped some 12 miles away.
Huntley, originally from Grimsby and a caretaker at Soham Village College at the time, enticed the girls into his home and was arrested and charged. Suspicions were raised after he gave detailed interviews about the girls. At his trial at the Old Bailey, prosecutor Richard Latham QC described him as "ruthless" and said Huntley's account of both deaths were "desperate lies. " In his evidence, Huntley claimed Holly died accidentally after falling into his bath when he was helping her with a nosebleed. His then partner, Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant the girls knew, initially provided an alibi; she later served half of a 42-month sentence for perverting the course of justice.
Violence at Frankland and previous attacks on the prisoner
HMP Frankland is a category A, high-security prison that holds some of the country's most serious offenders. Violent incidents at the jail have occurred in recent years. In April last year three prison officers were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries including burns and stab wounds after an alleged attack involving hot cooking oil and homemade weapons by an inmate, Hashem Abedi, who is the brother of Salman Abedi. Hashem Abedi pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey last October to the attempted murders of three prison officers and the assault of a fourth, and is set to go on trial next January.
This is not the first time the injured prisoner has been attacked in custody. In 2010 his throat was slashed with a homemade weapon, and in 2005 another inmate threw boiling water over him. In more recent months he was said to have been seen wearing a No 10 Manchester United-style shirt in the prison, a photograph of the schoolgirls in matching football shirts having become associated with the original search for the two victims. Separately, this week an inmate already serving a whole-life tariff, Damien Bendall, was handed a further life sentence for a hammer attack on a fellow prisoner at Frankland with a claw hammer in May 2024.
Prison service statement and ongoing investigation
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "A prisoner is receiving treatment after an incident at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning. It would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate. " Durham Constabulary has confirmed a police investigation is under way and detectives are continuing to liaise with staff at the prison as they examine the circumstances surrounding the workshop assault.
