Ian Huntley in serious condition after prison attack as front pages cry 'I've done it!'
Ian Huntley, the Soham double murderer, remains in hospital in a serious condition after being attacked inside a high-security prison workshop, leaving him with significant head trauma and under medical treatment. The assault has prompted a police investigation and a wave of national front pages that quoted an alleged boast from the attacker.
Attack at HMP Frankland
Prison staff found Ian Huntley lying in a pool of blood in a workshop at HMP Frankland in County Durham after he was bludgeoned with a makeshift weapon, the force has said. The 52-year-old sustained significant head injuries and is undergoing treatment in hospital; Durham Constabulary said there had been no change in the 52-year-old man's condition overnight and he remained in hospital in a serious condition.
Suspect Anthony Russell, 43
Police believe the attacker is 43-year-old Anthony Russell, who is serving a whole-life term for the murders of Julie Williams, her son David Williams and Nicole McGregor; those bodies were found in woodland near Leamington Spa. Russell admitted the killings during a week-long spree in October 2020. Earlier statements 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.
Immediate police actions by Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary has confirmed a police investigation is under way and detectives are liaising with prison staff. The sequence is clear: the assault caused Huntley to suffer major head trauma, which required hospital treatment, and that medical emergency in turn triggered formal detention of the suspected attacker and a criminal inquiry.
Front pages and the shouted claim 'I've done it!'
Early editions of Friday's papers hit the streets before the result of the Gorton and Denton by-election and focused on the prison attack. One front page quoted apparent words shouted by the prisoner who allegedly struck Huntley, printing the line "I've done it! I've done it!" and described the weapon as a metal pole. Another early front page gave a source's account that "the attacker got him when he least expected it", while a separate headline said Huntley was "close to death".
Huntley's prison history and past assaults
This is not Huntley's first prison attack. He was slashed across the throat in 2010 and required 21 stitches, and in 2005 a convicted murderer threw boiling water over him at HMP Wakefield. HMP Frankland, nicknamed "monster mansion" and home to some of the most dangerous prisoners including murderers and rapists, has housed Huntley when previous attacks occurred.
Broader national pages: health sector, missing emails and assisted dying
Across the newspapers, coverage of the attack sat alongside other national stories. One paper highlighted experts warning that hospitals and care homes face "an impending car crash", citing analysis of Home Office figures that suggests the number of foreign nurses granted entry to Britain has fallen by 93% over three years. Separate coverage noted that a lobbying company founded by Lord Mandelson found a "significant" tranche of his business emails missing after an internal audit conducted once the government agreed to release messages relating to his time as ambassador to the US; it is noted that he stopped being able to access his email address last February and that the firm went into administration last week.
Parliamentary manoeuvres and international imagery
Other front pages set out political battles over assisted dying legislation, with peers accused of sabotaging the proposals and Baroness Berger quoted saying supporters were "attacking Lords who are only doing their job"; if the legislation fails, about 50 MPs in favour will attempt to force it through by putting their names forward for private member's bills. International coverage included a photograph of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter Kim Ju Ae in matching leather jackets at a military parade, with commentary that the appearance has fuelled speculation she is being groomed for future leadership.
What makes this notable is the confluence of an acute medical emergency inside a maximum-security setting and the immediate public and editorial reaction that has intensified scrutiny on prison safety, detainee management and the news cycle in which the story broke. The page that carried those early headlines also included a prompt to sign up for a morning newsletter and a standard copyright notice.
Officials and investigators continue to piece together how the attack happened, while Huntley's condition remains serious and detectives work with prison staff to progress the criminal inquiry.
