Ian Huntley Dead — ian huntley dead: Soham murderer in serious condition after makeshift weapon attack
ian huntley dead has appeared in headlines as the Soham murderer, Ian Huntley, remains in hospital in a serious condition after an attack at HMP Frankland. He was found in a pool of blood in a prison workshop, has suffered significant head trauma and is undergoing treatment.
Found at HMP Frankland workshop and taken to hospital
Prison staff discovered the 52-year-old lying in a pool of blood at a workshop inside HMP Frankland in County Durham on Thursday and he was taken to hospital. The 52-year-old has significant head trauma and is undergoing treatment; an update on Friday from 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. "
Suspected attacker named as Anthony Russell, 43, held in detention
Triple killer Anthony Russell, 43, is suspected of carrying out the assault: he is serving a whole-life prison term for the murders of Julie Williams, her son David Williams and Nicole McGregor. Nicole McGregor's body was found in woodland near Leamington Spa, and Russell admitted the murders during a week-long spree in October 2020. 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. "
Police investigation under way and detectives liaising with prison staff
Durham Constabulary has confirmed that a police investigation is under way and that detectives are liaising with staff at the prison. Officers described the immediate position as unchanged overnight on Friday while inquiries continue into the alleged assault in which a makeshift weapon was used.
Huntley's convictions and the 2002 Soham murders
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 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 photograph of Holly and Jessica in their red Manchester United football kits remains widely remembered.
Previous attacks and life inside high-security prisons
This is not the first serious assault on Huntley while inside prison. He was slashed across the throat in 2010 and required 21 stitches; an inmate who carried out that attack 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 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. Huntley was also attacked in 2005 when a convicted murderer threw boiling water over him at HMP Wakefield.
Prison culture, Rule 43 and the environment at HMP Frankland
HMP Frankland, sometimes nicknamed "Monster Mansion, " houses some of the most dangerous criminals, including murderers and rapists. Any prisoner convicted of a child sex crime is a target for other inmates, and from his first day inside there was described as a price on Huntley's head — not monetary, but the promise of "respect" for anyone who attacked him. Huntley would have been on Rule 43, held in the prison's unit for vulnerable inmates, mostly sex offenders and police informants too; commentators cite a violent environment in top security jails and anecdotal accounts of planned attacks on child sex offenders.
