Is Ian Huntley dead? Soham double murderer remains in serious condition after prison attack as police identify suspect
Soham double murderer Ian Huntley is still in a serious condition after he was reportedly attacked during a prison workshop.
Durham Constabulary said on Friday, February 27 that there had been “no change” in Huntley’s condition after he was hospitalised with serious injuries following the assault inside HMP Frankland.
According to reports, a prisoner, believed to be Huntley, was repeatedly smashed over the head during the incident, which took place on Thursday morning (February 26).
Police also confirmed that a man in his mid-40s had been detained inside the prison in connection with the attack but that he had not been arrested. Reports suggested that triple killer Anthony Russell allegedly shouted “I’ve done it, I’ve done it” after Huntley was attacked.
The Sun first reported the story, naming Huntley as the assaulted prisoner. According to reports, the convicted child murderer had been knocked unconscious with a metal pole with sources saying that he was “touch and go” following the assault, which took place during a prison workshop just before 9.30am.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “A prisoner is receiving treatment after an incident at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning. It would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate.”
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We dispatched two ambulance crews to the scene and requested support from the Great North Air Ambulance Service. One patient was transported to hospital by road.”
Huntley is currently serving a life sentence at HMP Frankland after he was convicted of the murders of 10-year-old girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2003. The former caretaker, now 52, was found guilty of their murder after the two young girls were killed after leaving a family barbecue to buy sweets in their hometown of Soham.
Huntley was previously attacked in prison by convicted robber Damien Fowkes, who slashed him with a homemade weapon during an attack in 2010. The assault left him with a “severe gaping cut to the left side of his neck”, with Fowkes reportedly later asking a prison officer: “Is he dead? I hope so.”
Fowkes also described Huntley as a “notorious child killer, both inside prison and in society in general”.