Evil Soham child murderer Ian Huntley has been attacked in a prison workshop with an ‘iron bar’ and is fighting for his life in hospital.
Huntley, 52, is serving life behind bars for murdering 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in his home in Soham, in Cambridgeshire in 2002.
He was transported to hospital after being targeted in a behind-bars ambush on his prison wing this morning which saw him hit with the metal weapon.
Huntley was found in a pool of blood after the incident at HMP Frankland, County Durham at around 9am.
A source said the double killer’s condition was ‘touch and go’ and described the scene on the wing as ‘absolute chaos’.
The attacker is thought to have gained access to Huntley in a prison workshop. The killer is usually under close guard at all times.
A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: ‘Police were alerted to an assault which had taken place within HMP Frankland in Durham this morning.
‘A male prisoner suffered serious injuries during the incident and was transported to hospital.
Huntley, 52, is serving life for murdering 10-year-olds Holly and Jessica in his home in Soham, a Cambridgeshire market town made infamous by his vile crimes in 2002
Holly Wells (left) and Jessica Chapman (right) were both murdered by Huntley in Soham, Cambridgeshire in 2002
‘A police investigation is now underway into the circumstances of the incident and detectives are liaising with staff at the prison’.
An air ambulance was seen landing near to HMP Frankland as the incident unfolded, but it is note believed this was used to transport Huntley. The Cateogry A prison holds some of the UK’s most dangerous criminals including Wayne Couzens, Levi Bellfield and Michael Adebolajo, one of two terrorists who killed British Army soldier Lee Rigby.
I’m Sam Greenhill, Chief Reporter, and nearly 25 years ago I had an encounter with killer Ian Huntley that still sends shivers down my spine.
Huntley is one Britain’s most notorious child murderers. But when I was invited into his home for tea and biscuits days before he was arrested for the Soham Murders, this was the last thing on my mind. I’ve written about it in The Crime Desk newsletter – sign up to read it for free.
School caretaker Huntley lured both schoolgirls into his home and murdered them, before dumping their bodies in a ditch some 12 miles away.
He would later return and attempt to set fire to them.
They were not discovered until more than a week after they went missing, by which time some 400 police officers had joined with local residents to search for the missing youngsters.
Holly and Jessica, who were best friends, had gone out to buy sweets on the afternoon of August 4, 2002, when he lured them into his three-bedroom cottage.
Their disappearance after a family barbecue sent shockwaves through the close-knit community and became one of the most sickening child murders the country has ever seen.
Suspicions about Huntley were raised after he appeared to tell one journalist in morbid detail how the girls might react to being taken by a stranger.
He was convicted in 2003 of both murders, having pleaded not guilty. Huntley was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 40 years.
His then-fiancée Maxine Carr, who was a teaching assistant at the girls’ school, would also be jailed for three-and-a-half years after giving her partner a false alibi in a bid to help him evade justice.
She famously turned on her partner at court and Huntley was convicted, having tried to claim he had killed both girls accidentally.
He lied that Holly had drowned in his bath and that he had accidentally suffocated Jessica while attempting to stop her from screaming.
Huntley has previously been attacked in prison, most notably by armed robber Damien Fowkes in 2010, who slashed his throat.
Holly Wells (right) and Jessica Chapman (left), both 10, were killed by Huntley in 2002 in a double murder which horrified the nation
Huntley (left) was convicted of the murders after pleading not guilty. His girlfriend at the time Maxine Carr (right) gave him a false alibi but turned on him in the witness box
A fellow prisoner also attempted to shank Huntley in an ambush in 2018.
In 2005, fellow murderer Mark Hobson also threw boiling water over him in Wakefield Prison.
His crimes continue to cause outrage behind bars, as has Huntley’s brazen behaviour while on remand.
Last year prison guards stormed Huntley’s cell after he was spotted wearing a red Manchester United-style shirt with the number 10 on the back.
He was accused of brazenly taunting the families of his victims, as the girls themselves had been wearing Manchester United tops at the time of their disappearance, aged 10. The top was later confiscated.
In 2018 Huntley appeared to confess to deliberately killing Jessica to stop her from raising the alarm. He continued to insist that Holly’s death was an accident.
After Carr had served her prison sentence, she was released in 2004 with a brand new identity.
Responding to Thursday’s incident, 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.’
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.