Ian Huntley Dead: Soham murderer left in serious condition after prison attack
ian huntley dead — Soham murderer Ian Huntley, 52, remains in hospital in a serious condition after being attacked with a makeshift weapon by another inmate, Durham Constabulary said on Friday.
Ian Huntley Dead: hospital update and condition
Durham Constabulary said there had been no change in the 52-year-old's condition overnight and that he remains in hospital in a serious condition; he has suffered significant head trauma and is undergoing treatment (ian huntley dead).
Suspected attacker named as Anthony Russell
The understands that triple killer Anthony Russell, 43, is suspected of carrying out the assault. Russell is serving a whole-life term for the murders of Julie Williams, her son David Williams and Nicole McGregor, whose body was found in woodland near Leamington Spa.
Scene of the assault at HMP Frankland
Police and prison Huntley was found in a pool of blood after being bludgeoned with a makeshift weapon at a prison workshop at HMP Frankland, the high-security prison in County Durham, with the attacker believed to be a male prisoner in his mid-40s who remains in detention within the prison but had not been arrested at this stage.
Investigation under way and prison liaison
Durham Constabulary confirmed a police investigation is under way and detectives are liaising with staff at the prison. The force previously said the suspected inmate was in detention within the jail while enquiries continued.
Past attacks on Huntley and prison context
Huntley has been the target of violence in custody before: in 2010 he was slashed across the throat and needed 21 stitches, and in 2005 a convicted murderer threw boiling water over him at HMP Wakefield. In a separate case an inmate who slashed Huntley's throat was later jailed; Damien Fowkes was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years for the attempted murder of Huntley in March 2010 and the manslaughter of child killer Colin Hatch, having inflicted a seven-inch wound that a court described as missing anything vital by "good fortune. "
HMP Frankland, nicknamed "Monster Mansion, " houses some of the most dangerous criminals including murderers and rapists. In top security jails, prisoners convicted of child sex crimes are often targets; from his first day inside there was said to have been a price on Huntley's head and he would have been held on Rule 43 in the unit for vulnerable inmates, which houses mostly sex offenders and police informants.
The crimes that brought Huntley to custody
Huntley is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002. The 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 photo of the girls in their red Manchester United football kits remains etched in many memories.
Police continue to investigate the incident at HMP Frankland and detectives are working with prison staff as Huntley remains hospitalised in a serious condition.
