Ian Huntley attacked in frenzied prison ambush, attacker boasted 'I've done it'
ian huntley remains in a serious condition in hospital after being bludgeoned with a makeshift weapon at a prison workshop, officials say. The suspected assailant is named as Anthony Russell, 43, and the incident has prompted both a police inquiry and sharp headlines in national papers.
Ian Huntley in serious condition
Durham Constabulary said there had been "no change in the 52-year-old man's condition overnight - he remains in hospital in a serious condition". Huntley, 52, has suffered significant head trauma and is undergoing treatment after the attack at HMP Frankland, the high-security prison in County Durham.
Suspect identified as Anthony Russell
Prison authorities suspect triple killer Anthony Russell, 43, of carrying out the attack. Russell is serving a whole-life prison term for murdering Julie Williams, her son David Williams and Nicole McGregor; McGregor's body was found in woodland near Leamington Spa. Russell had admitted those murders during a week-long spree in October 2020.
Prison workshop attack details
Huntley was found lying in a pool of blood after being bludgeoned with a makeshift weapon at a prison workshop at HMP Frankland. One tabloid headlined the assault with the apparent words shouted by the attacker: "I've done it! I've done it!" Another paper quoted a source saying "the attacker got him when he least expected it" and another described Huntley as "close to death". Police previously 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". The force confirmed a police investigation is under way and detectives are liaising with staff at the prison.
Past attacks on Huntley
This is not the first attack on Huntley in custody. In 2010 he was slashed across the throat and needed 21 stitches. In 2005 he was attacked when a convicted murderer threw boiling water over him at HMP Wakefield. The prison that houses Huntley has been nicknamed "Monster Mansion" and holds some of the most dangerous criminals, including murderers and rapists.
Reminders of Soham murders
As he fights for life in hospital, many people recall the murders that led to his life term. Huntley is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for murdering schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002. In the commuter town of Soham in Cambridgeshire, the two ten-year-old girls had been at a family barbeque and were believed to be on their way to buy sweets when Huntley, then aged 28, lured them back to his home and killed them. The photograph of the girls in their red Manchester United football kits is widely remembered.
Newspaper headlines and wider coverage
Early editions of Friday's papers ran before the result of the Gorton and Denton by-election and focused on the prison attack. National titles used dramatic language and front-page images, with one running the attacker’s shouted words and others amplifying comments that Huntley was "close to death". Separate coverage in the national press highlighted other topics: one analysis suggested hospitals and care homes face "an impending car crash" as Home Office figures showed the number of foreign nurses granted entry to Britain had fallen by 93% over three years. A lobbying company founded by Lord Mandelson discovered a "significant" tranche of his business emails were missing after Global Counsel conducted an internal audit; the firm went into administration last week and Lord Mandelson stopped being able to access his email address last February, as government moved to release messages relating to his time as British ambassador to the US.
Other pages noted peers accused of sabotaging assisted dying legislation, with Baroness Berger quoted saying supporters of the bill are "attacking Lords who are only doing their job". Another report said if the legislation fails, about 50 MPs in favour will try to force it into law by putting their names forward for private members' bills. One front page featured North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae in matching leather jackets at a military parade, a photograph said to have fuelled speculation she is being groomed for future leadership.
Police and prison officials continue to investigate the workshop attack at HMP Frankland while Huntley, the Soham double murderer, remains under hospital care.
