Jacqueline Edwards, who is grandmother to Ian Huntley’s daughter, says the double murderer will be “dragged to the gates of hell by the devil’s hounds”
The gran of Ian Huntley’s daughter said she would like to stand outside the monster’s funeral holding a placard that says: “Burn in hell”.
Jacqueline Edwards, 67, of Cleethorpes, North East Lincs, said she lives with the guilt that she introduced Huntley to her daughter Katie Bryan, who went on to have a daughter Samantha with him. Huntley went on to rape and abuse Katie and also sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl, who Jacqui said was known to their family.
She today described him as “pure evil” following his death on Saturday. Jacqui said: “I would not interfere in any way with Huntley’s funeral service but I would like to see him on his way as he’s dragged to the gates of hell by the devil’s hounds.
“If I could, I’d like to stand outside and hold a placard wishing him God’s speed…on his way to hell. As that’s where he’s going with all the other monsters. I want to stress that in no way would I ever interfere with the service for his mother’s sake – not for his.
“I suspect he will be disposed of in secret and with no one knowing so I probably wouldn’t get the chance. But after what he did to my family I would like the opportunity to see him finally gone – to have some kind of closure.”
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Jacqui introduced charity co-worker Huntley to 15-year-old Katie – a guilt she said she still wrestles with every day. Years before the murders of 10-year-old Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002 she reported him to police after Katie ran away to live with him, but Huntley he lied and said she’d run away from an unhappy home the police were powerless to act. Huntley went on to rape and abuse her daughter before pushing her down the stairs when she was pregnant with their daughter Samantha, now 27.
In the aftermath, Jacqui had a chilling showdown with Huntley where he threatened to kill her. Jacqui said: “When Katie finally fled his abuse I confronted him.
“I vowed: “You will never see my daughter again. He turned to Katie and smirked: “I’ll see you soon sweetheart”. I replied: “Over my dead body”. “He laughed: ‘That can be arranged.’
“Even back then, nearly 30 years ago he was already evil. I have no doubt that if he ever got parole he would have struck again. That can never happen now.”
Jacqui first met Huntley when she worked selling lottery tickets door to door in Grimsby and Huntley was a co-worker, travelling together in a van. Katie would often come on the rounds after school or on weekends.
She said: “The fact I introduced my daughter to Huntley who went on to control, abuse and rape her devastates me. It took me ages to find her and get her away from him.
“He asked to take her to town with him one afternoon while I was working -but she never came home. I called him over and over again and when he finally answered he said: She’s not coming home, she’s staying with me.
“I went to his house and he wouldn’t let me in so I called the police. When they went round to see him he lied and said we’d had a row and it was innocent – but it wasn’t.
“It was his word against mine and the police said “She’s 15, she will only run away again. It was only when Katie was pregnant with Samantha that she found the courage to leave. Samantha saved her life. I think she would be dead otherwise.”
Jacqui said she also knew of an 11-year-old girl who made an allegation of assault against Huntley. She said: “She was known to our family and I have no doubt that what she said was true. But again, she wasn’t believed for years. He destroyed so many lives. There was a pattern before Holly and Jessica. I think he was happy to give interviews before TV cameras after he murdered them because he believed he was untouchable.”
She said when she heard on Sun Online that Huntley was dead she felt “relief” for her family mixed with profound sadness for Holly and Jessica’s parents. She said: “On the one hand, death was too good for him. He should have lived his sentence out and been tortured for the rest of his life.
“But in another way I’m relieved as if I die I can rest in peace as he can never get near my daughter and grandchild, or anyone else’s. I do absolutely believe that if he’d ever got out he would have killed again.
“My thoughts immediately turned to Holly and Jessica and their families. I’m so desperately sad for them. Holly and Jessica are with the angels and Ian is going to meet the devil.”
She said a part of her still can’t believe the spectre of Huntley in her family’s life is over. She said: “He caused so much fear and agony. “I’ve been dreading all these years that I might die and he would get released from prison and I wouldn’t be here to protect my daughter Katie and granddaughter Samantha.
“Fearing he’d get out of prison is something that has kept me awake for decades. I’ll sleep soundly tonight knowing he’s never going to hurt anybody again.”
She said she feels pity for Ian’s mother Lynda who went to her son’s bedside before his death. She said: “While I feel only hatred towards Ian, my heart goes out to Lynda too. At the end of the day it’s her son. You can’t help how your children turn out.
“She must be so torn. On the one hand she’s suffered because people have judged her for what he did. But it wasn’t her fault. She was a good person.
“What mother wouldn’t be devastated that their son had committed such a terrible crime. Maybe also she’s been freed of the dark shadow he has cast over so many lives.
“But of course, at the very foremost of my thoughts are Holly and Jessica’s parents. Of everyone they have suffered the most.”
