Ian Huntley, 52, died a week after being attacked in a workshop at HMP Frankland with celebrating breaking out among inmates at the high-security jail nicknamed Monster Mansion
Cheers erupted amongst inmates at Frankland prison as word rapidly filtered through the facility that double child killer Ian Huntley had died. Prisoners had been demanding three cheers each morning for Anthony Russell, the convicted murderer who allegedly battered Huntley with a metal bar.
The cheers had also been punctuated by football-style chants, according to one prison source. The source revealed that Huntley was amongst the most despised inmates inside the high security jail because he considered himself a “celebrity”, reports the Daily Star.
The source continued: “Every morning prisoners would be shouting “is he dead yet” and that would be followed by “three cheers for Russell”. When news began to spread around the prison that Huntley had died there was a lot of celebrating. Huntley was loathed by virtually all of the prisoners inside Frankland.
“There are a lot of cons in here who have committed some horrible crimes. Mostly they get left alone but not Huntley. He was arrogant, thought he was special and almost behaved like a celebrity. No one inside Frankland will be mourning his loss.”
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Soham child murderer Huntley was left lying unconscious in a pool of blood after being bludgeoned during a workshop.
The 52 year old was rushed to hospital following the attack on February 26, which triggered scenes of ‘absolute chaos’ at HMP Frankland, County Durham, nicknamed Monster Mansion. On March 6 – seven days after the assault – medics switched off his life support.
His mother Lynda, 71 – the only family member to attend his bedside – was present as his wretched existence came to an end, following brain scans which confirmed he was in a vegetative state.
A source told the Sun: “No one who has dealt with him is shedding a tear. Even his mother has accepted that this is for the best, having seen him and knowing what a state he is in. He never really recovered from the beating he took, and never stood much of a chance of doing so.
“Huntley had been attacked loads of times in prison so the day he was killed was always likely to arrive.”
Huntley was serving life imprisonment after his conviction for the murders of two 10 year old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who vanished from a family barbecue in Soham, Cambridgeshire, back in August 2002.
Russell is understood to have battered Huntley no fewer than 15 times whilst shouting: “I’ve done it! I’ve done it! I’ve killed him! I’ve killed him!” as prison officers surrounded him, the Sun reports.
A Durham Constabulary spokesperson confirmed: “A man who was attacked at HMP Frankland in Durham last week has died in hospital this morning.
“Ian Huntley, 52, was taken to hospital with serious injuries following an incident in the workshop on the morning of Thursday, February 26.
“A police investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing. A file is being prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration for charges.”
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice commented: “The murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman remains one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation’s history, and our thoughts are with their families.”
The Sun, which first broke the news of the assault, reported that Huntley was knocked unconscious by a metal pole with a spike, with a source alleging his “head was split in two.”
This isn’t the first time Huntley has been subjected to violence at Frankland prison. In 2010, robber Damien Fowkes attacked him with an improvised weapon, causing a “severe gaping cut to the left side of his neck”.
The wound, measuring 7in (18cm) long, required 21 stitches.
Upon attacking Huntley, Fowkes asked a prison officer: “Is he dead? I hope so.”
He labelled Huntley as a “notorious child killer, both inside prison and in society in general”.
Before his move to HMP Frankland, Huntley was held at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire where he was scalded with boiling water by North Yorkshire serial killer Mark Hobson.
