Ian Huntley Dead — Soham murderer in serious condition after prison attack
'ian huntley dead' — Soham double murderer Ian Huntley remains in hospital in a serious condition after being attacked with a makeshift weapon at HMP Frankland, the high-security prison in County Durham.
Found in a pool of blood at a prison workshop
Prison staff discovered Huntley, 52, lying in a pool of blood after he was bludgeoned with a makeshift weapon at a prison workshop. He has suffered significant head trauma and is undergoing treatment in hospital. The attack was described as an assault with a makeshift weapon.
Suspect identified as a fellow prisoner
Authorities say Anthony Russell, 43, a triple killer serving a whole-life prison term, is suspected of carrying out the attack. Russell is serving a whole-life term for the murders of Julie Williams, her son David Williams and Nicole McGregor; McGregor's body was found in woodland near Leamington Spa. He admitted those murders during a week-long spree in October 2020.
Police: no change in condition; suspect held in detention
Durham Constabulary said there had been no change in the 52-year-old man's condition overnight and that he remains in hospital in a serious condition. Police earlier said a male prisoner in his mid-40s suspected of the attack was in detention within the prison but had not been arrested at this stage. A police investigation is under way and detectives are liaising with staff at the prison.
Previous attacks and the prison environment
Huntley has been attacked in custody before. He was slashed across the throat in 2010 and required 21 stitches. In 2005 a convicted murderer threw boiling water over him at HMP Wakefield. In a separate case, an inmate who slashed Huntley with a makeshift knife was later jailed for life in 2011; Damien Fowkes was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years for the attempted murder of Huntley in March 2010 and for the manslaughter of child killer Colin Hatch. Fowkes inflicted a wound seven inches long on Huntley's neck and the court was told it was only "good fortune" that the weapon missed anything vital.
HMP Frankland is nicknamed "Monster Mansion" and houses some of the most dangerous criminals, including murderers and rapists. Prison culture has long held that any prisoner convicted of a child sex crime is a target for other inmates. From his first day inside, officials say there was a price on Huntley's head; in a top-security jail, respect among inmates can be enforced through violence. Huntley would have been held under Rule 43 in the prison's unit for vulnerable inmates, which houses mostly sex offenders and police informants.
The crimes that put him inside
Huntley is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for the murder of two ten-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002. The girls had been at a family barbeque and are believed to have been on their way to buy sweets when Huntley, then 28, lured them back to his home and killed them. The photograph of the girls in their red Manchester United football kits remains widely remembered.
What officials say next
Durham Constabulary has confirmed detectives are investigating the assault and are liaising with prison staff. The force issued an update on Friday saying there had been no change in Huntley's condition overnight and that he remains in hospital in a serious condition. The phrase 'ian huntley dead' has circulated in public discussion, but officials' statements confirm he is currently receiving hospital treatment and that an investigation continues.
