Ian Huntley fights for life after workshop prison attack as suspect identified

ian huntley, the Soham murderer serving a life term at HMP Frankland, was hospitalised in serious condition after suffering head injuries in an assault at the prison workshop; police and emergency services have since identified a suspect as they examine the scene. The attack has drawn renewed attention to his 2002 convictions and to front pages that highlighted wider political and social stories the same day.

Ian Huntley left in serious condition after workshop attack at HMP Frankland

The 52-year-old prisoner was taken to hospital after being found in a pool of blood following an alleged attack in the workshop at HMP Frankland in County Durham. A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: "The 52-year-old prisoner who was injured during this morning's assault in the workshop at HMP Frankland remains in a serious condition in hospital following treatment for head injuries. " Prison Service comment was limited: "A prisoner is receiving treatment after an incident at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning. It would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate. "

Alleged assailant identified and dramatic claims about the ambush

Police have identified a suspect, described as a male prisoner in his mid-40s, who has not been arrested but remains in detention within the prison. Witnesses and front-page coverage described Huntley being battered around the head with a metal bar and targeted in a workshop; one report named triple killer Anthony Russell, 43, as a suspected attacker using a makeshift weapon and said the alleged suspect shouted, "I've done it, I've done it!" after the assault. Other descriptions called the incident a "vicious ambush" that left him in a "bad, bad way. "

Emergency response, timing and forensic work at the scene

The North East Ambulance Service said it received a call at 9. 23am ET on Thursday 26 February 2026 to reports of an incident at HM Prison Frankland in County Durham. Two ambulance crews were dispatched and support was requested from the Great North Air Ambulance Service; one patient was transported to hospital by road. Police forensic teams examined the scene throughout the day to gather evidence.

Convictions, sentence and previous attacks at Frankland

Huntley was convicted of the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in 2002 and is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years at HMP Frankland. The latest assault is not the first time he has been attacked at the prison. In 2011 an inmate who slashed Huntley's throat with a makeshift knife was jailed for life. Damien Fowkes was later sentenced to a minimum of 20 years for the attempted murder of Huntley in March 2010 and the manslaughter of child killer Colin Hatch. Court accounts said Fowkes inflicted a wound seven inches long on Huntley's neck and that it was only "good fortune" the weapon missed anything vital. The disappearance and murders of the two 10-year-old schoolgirls captured national attention in 2002: the girls left a family barbecue to buy sweets, were killed in August and their bodies were later dumped in a ditch.

Front pages that day: politics, welfare, migration and assisted dying

Front-page headlines that day ranged from the phrase "Invisible welfare state" to warnings about the health of the care system. Former Labour Minister Alan Milburn, who is leading a government review into youth unemployment, said parents are "often having to cope with the 'mental health crises' of children who were struggling to find jobs, " a theme summed up by the "Invisible welfare state" headline. Data on young people Not in Education, Employment, or Training (Neet) was described as having risen "perilously" close to one million; Chancellor Rachel Reeves was said to face demands to act as fears mount of a "lost generation of 16 to 24-year-olds. "

Political and public-policy stories included a report that Lord Mandelson's lobbying firm Global Counsel had found a "tranche of his business email record was missing, " and that the government had agreed to release emails related to his time as the UK ambassador to the US; Lord Mandelson did not respond to requests for comment. Assisted dying legislation was described as facing collapse and being "widely expected to fail, " with Lord Falconer accusing peers of "filibustering" and Baroness Berger defending prolonged debates as the Lords "doing their job of scrutinising a bill they argue is not safe in its current form. "

Migration and health headlines noted experts warning that a drop in migrant workers "will be a car crash" for the NHS and care homes, and said the number of foreign nurses granted entry to Britain had fallen by 93% over three years, citing analysis by the charity Work Rights Centre of Home Office figures. New Home Office figures were cited showing only 6% of Channel migrants were deported in the last year, prompting criticism from groups including Reform UK and senior Conservative MPs; the minister for border security and asylum, Alex Norris, was quoted as saying the latest figures show the government is "making progress" but that more "must be done to stop people crossing the Channel illegally. "

Another front-page item said Spanish police would patrol Gibraltar under a Brexit deal with powers to make arrests and monitor borders, a move described as breaking a previous pledge for no boots on the ground that Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo denied. Cultural items also featured, including an enlarged image of West End actress Ruthie Henshall tied to a memoir said to be inspired by her "bittersweet" relationship with Prince Edward. One front page used a photograph of 10-year-olds Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells, the victims of the 2002 murders.