Ian Huntley Dead claims met by hospital reality as Soham murderer fights for life
'ian huntley dead' is inaccurate: Soham double murderer Ian Huntley, 52, remains in hospital in a serious condition after being attacked with a makeshift weapon by another inmate at HMP Frankland.
Ian Huntley Dead: hospital update
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" after being taken to hospital following the assault; earlier statements said the prisoner had been found in a pool of blood at HMP Frankland in Durham on Thursday. Huntley has suffered significant head trauma and is undergoing treatment.
Attack at HMP Frankland workshop
Sources told the that Huntley was found lying 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. Police have opened an investigation and detectives are liaising with staff at the prison while officers probe the incident involving a male prisoner in his mid-40s who is being held inside the prison but had not been arrested at this stage.
Suspect named as Anthony Russell
The understands that triple killer Anthony Russell, 43, is suspected of attacking Huntley. Russell is serving a whole-life prison term for the murders of Julie Williams, her son David Williams and Nicole McGregor, whose body was found in woodland near Leamington Spa; he admitted those murders during a week-long spree in October 2020.
Past attacks and life inside "Monster Mansion"
This is not the first serious attack on Huntley in custody. He was slashed across the throat in 2010 and needed 21 stitches, and in 2005 a convicted murderer threw boiling water over him at HMP Wakefield. In a related case, Damien Fowkes was jailed with a minimum term of 20 years after the March 2010 attempt on Huntley's life and the manslaughter of Colin Hatch; Fowkes inflicted a wound seven inches long on Huntley's neck and the court said it was only "good fortune" the weapon missed anything vital. HMP Frankland is nicknamed "Monster Mansion" and houses some of the most dangerous criminals, including murderers and rapists.
Why the Soham killings are still recalled
Huntley is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for murdering ten-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002. In Soham, Cambridgeshire, the girls had been at a family barbeque and are believed to have been on their way to buy sweets when Huntley, then aged 28, lured them back to his home and killed them. The photo of Holly and Jessica in red Manchester United football kits remains etched in many memories as the case passed the 20-year mark.
Prison protection and where Huntley was held
Huntley would have been on Rule 43, held in the prison's unit for vulnerable inmates, mostly sex offenders but also police informants, a classification used at high-security jails. Police earlier indicated a man in his mid-40s was being investigated for the alleged attack and remained in detention within the prison while inquiries continued.
Durham officers continue their investigation and detectives are working with prison staff; Huntley remains under hospital care and his condition was unchanged overnight, officials say. The next confirmed public step is the ongoing police inquiry and the prison's internal procedures for reviewing the assault and the status of the detained suspect.
