Gordon Rayner, who sat through every day of Ian Huntley’s trial has written about one major recollection from the chilling courtroom scene
A man who attended every single day of child killer Ian Huntley’s trial has shared a lasting memory of the murderer, who died earlier this week.
Huntley, a former school caretaker, was convicted and jailed for the murders of two 10-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, in Soham, Cambridgeshire on August 4, 2002. The girls’ bodies were discovered in a ditch roughly 10 miles from Soham following a 13 day search, in a case that sent shockwaves across the UK.
News of Huntley’s death was announced over the weekend, around a week after he was attacked at the maximum security prison where he was being held.
In the aftermath of his death, more people have come forward to share their recollections of encounters with Huntley, both prior to his arrest and throughout his time on trial.
Among those recounting their experiences is Gordon Rayner, who was present in the courtroom throughout the entire trial, seated just feet away from the killer, reports the Express.
Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Rayner recalled how Huntley nitpicked over minor details even after admitting guilt.
He said: “One of my abiding recollections of the trial is that although he admitted the girls had died at his hands, Huntley nitpicked over facts that made no difference to his guilt.
“When the jury was told he had changed the tyres on his car after disposing of the bodies (so they did not match the tread pattern found at the scene). He insisted it was something he did once a year as a matter of course and had nothing to do with dumping the bodies.”
Mr Rayner added that Huntley even went so far as to dispute the depth of water in his bath where Holly was allegedly drowned.
Following his trial, Huntley received two life sentences with a minimum term of 40 years to be served for the murders. He wasn’t given a whole life tariff because the Criminal Justice Act 2003 was passed just a single day after his conviction.
Earlier this year it was reported that Huntley had been assaulted at HMP Frankland, the category A facility where he was imprisoned, before being rushed to hospital with severe brain trauma. On Friday he was reportedly taken off from life support.
In a statement following Huntley’s death, a spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: “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 26 February.
“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.”
