Ian Huntley seriously injured in attack at HMP Frankland
ian huntley, the convicted killer serving a life sentence for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, has been treated for serious head injuries after an assault inside HMP Frankland. The incident has prompted a police inquiry and renewed attention on violent incidents at the high-security prison.
Attack in workshop left 52-year-old with serious head injuries
Prison staff moved a prisoner from HMP Frankland to hospital on Thursday morning after an assault that left the 52-year-old inmate with serious head injuries. Reports say he was attacked in a prison workshop and was found in his cell in a pool of blood; other accounts say he may have been discovered at around 9am. One report states an attacker used a metal pole or metal bar and that the prisoner was knocked unconscious.
An air ambulance was dispatched to HMP Frankland, but the North East Ambulance Service said the injured inmate was transported to hospital by road. Emergency dispatch records show a call was received at 9. 23am on Thursday 26 February 2026; two ambulance crews were sent and support from a regional air ambulance service was requested.
Durham Constabulary says suspect in mid-40s is in detention
Durham Constabulary confirmed detectives are investigating an assault at HMP Frankland and are liaising with prison staff. Police said they were alerted to an assault within the prison on Thursday and that a male prisoner suffered serious injuries before being taken to hospital.
The force added that a male prisoner in his mid-40s is suspected of carrying out the attack and is "in detention" but has not been arrested at this stage.
Prison Service statement and internal inquiry under way
A Prison Service spokesperson 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. Prison staff are cooperating with detectives as the inquiry proceeds.
HMP Frankland's security, inmates and history of violent incidents
HMP Frankland is a category A, high-security prison in County Durham that houses a number of high-profile and convicted killers. Named inmates in the facility's history include Michael Adebolajo, Levi Bellfield and Wayne Couzens, and the prison has previously held figures such as Peter Sutcliffe, Fred West and Harold Shipman. One account said the jail holds around 800 inmates.
Violent attacks at the jail are not uncommon: in one incident last April, three prison officers were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, suffering burns and stab wounds after an alleged attack that involved hot cooking oil and homemade weapons by an inmate identified as Hashem Abedi, who is the brother of Salman Abedi.
Former inmate Ricky Killeen recounts brutal scenes at Frankland
Ricky Killeen, a former prisoner who arrived at Frankland aged 21, described the jail as brutally violent and gave several recollections of attacks. He said he saw a terrorist have hot oil poured over his head, witnessed multiple stabbings to the neck, and saw a prisoner subjected to a coffee jar full of chilli powder being rammed into his neck. He described "mini riots" and said the VP wing, which holds paedophiles and notorious killers, was often the site of the worst violence.
Killeen, from Stanley in County Durham, said Frankland carried a fearsome reputation among inmates and staff. He has since transformed his life and now works with former inmates to help them rebuild after prison, and he emphasized the severity of violence he witnessed while incarcerated.
The Soham murders and Huntley's conviction remain part of the record
Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were 10-year-olds who went missing in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on 4 August 2002. Their disappearance prompted a 13-day search that involved around 400 police officers working full time; investigators questioned every registered sex offender in Cambridgeshire and neighbouring Lincolnshire during the inquiry.
Two weeks after they disappeared, the girls' bodies were found in a ditch near an air base in Lakenheath, Suffolk. Ian Huntley, originally from Grimsby and then working as a caretaker at Soham Village College, enticed both girls into his home and later dumped their bodies some 12 miles away. He was arrested after officers found charred pieces of the Manchester United shirts the girls had been wearing and other evidence at his workplace.
Huntley was tried at the Old Bailey, where prosecutor Richard Latham QC described him as "ruthless" and said his account of both deaths were "desperate lies. " In evidence, Huntley claimed Holly had died accidentally after falling into his bath while he was helping her with a nosebleed. His then partner, Maxine Carr, initially gave him an alibi; she later served half of a 42-month sentence for perverting the course of justice.
The assault at HMP Frankland and the subsequent police probe have reopened attention on both the prison's safety record and the long shadow left by the Soham murders.
