Reports tonight claimed Soham murderer Ian Huntley had his life support switched off at around lunchtime and is expected to die within hours after a prison attack at HMP Frankland
Soham murderer Ian Huntley is now said to be “effectively dead” after he was left lying in a pool of blood following a prison attack.
Huntley, 52, was rushed to hospital last Thursday following the assault at HMP Frankland in County Durham. It was said medics “worked miracles” to save him, and prison staff assumed he was dead when they found him.
Tonight it was reported that Huntley’s life support was switched off at around lunchtime following consultations with his mum Lynda Richards in hospital.
The Sun reported that medics have now withdrawn the ventilator that was keeping him alive. The decision was taken at around lunchtime after brain tests showed he was in a vegetative state, sources said. They also claimed his mum was by his bedside.
A source told the publication: “This is it, this is the end of Huntley. He is effectively dead and, at the best, is drawing his last breaths.
“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.” The Ministry of Justice declined to comment.
Previously, Huntley was given just a 5% chance of survival after he was struck multiple times with a metal pole and left with severe head injuries, reports claimed. Emergency services raced to the Category A prison at around 9am on February 26.
In an update on his condition yesterday, a spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: “There has been no change in the 52-year-old man’s condition overnight – he remains in hospital in a serious condition.”
After the vicious assault, the double murderer was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, with armed police forming an escort in front and behind. Two prison guards and an armed officer were inside the ambulance during the high-security operation.
A source said: “He was placed in an induced coma because he was so close to death. The team from the helicopter travelled with him but he could not be evacuated by air in case of any complications. He was transported by road because he was in a coma; this helps to keep him stable.
“The helicopter then travels to the hospital to collect the medics. Two armed officers are guarding Huntley around the clock at the hospital.”
Huntley is serving a life sentence after he was convicted of murdering schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002. He will not be eligible for parole until at least 2042.
