Ian Huntley’s daughter, Samantha Bryan, has revealed she hopes the Soham murder doesn’t get a funeral after his evil crimes, with the 27-year-old vowing: “I want nothing to do with him.”
The daughter of Ian Huntley has issued a stark and unwavering vow over his funeral – insisting she wants absolutely no involvement following the death of the man responsible for one of Britain’s most shocking crimes.
Samantha Bryan has made her position clear after being approached by police in the days after Huntley died in hospital. The Soham murderer was savagely beaten and suffered fatal injuries at the end of February. He died more than one week later on March 7 after being put in an induced coma.
In a powerful statement, 27-year-old Samantha said: “I had nothing to do with him in life and now I want nothing to do with him in death. I don’t want to pay for any funeral and I wouldn’t want to go to a funeral for him.”
READ MORE: Ian Huntley’s daughter ‘disgusted’ when police asked if she wanted to pay towards his funeralREAD MORE: Inquest for Soham killer Ian Huntley to open next month after prison death
Her comments underline the strong disgust still surrounding Huntley, who became one of the UK’s most reviled killers after the Soham murders. In August 2002, he murdered ten-year-old best friends Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells at his home in Soham, Cambridgeshire. The crime horrified the nation and led to sweeping changes in child protection procedures.
Huntley was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years. Throughout his time behind bars, he remained a target for other inmates due to the nature of his crimes.
The 52-year-old died earlier this month after a brutal assault at HMP Frankland in Durham, a high-security prison housing some of the UK’s most dangerous offenders. He was found in a pool of blood after being attacked with a metal bar, suffering devastating injuries including skull fractures, brain damage and a broken jaw.
In the aftermath, Samantha, who never met her father, was contacted by police and asked whether she would take responsibility for his funeral arrangements, purely because she is his biological daughter. During a 30-minute meeting on March 17, officers explained that taking on the role could involve high financial costs.
However, she refused outright, reiterating her earlier statement and making it clear she would not contribute financially, attend any service, or have any involvement in handling his ashes. Her firm stance means there is currently no immediate family member willing to take responsibility for his funeral.
Huntley’s time in prison had been marked by repeated violent attacks. In 2005, he was scalded with boiling water while held at HMP Wakefield. Five years later, in 2010, he was hospitalised after suffering a serious throat wound inflicted with a makeshift weapon during another assault.
The attack that ultimately led to his death is believed to have been carried out by another inmate, with triple killer Anthony Russell named as a suspect. The severity of the injuries left Huntley unrecognisable, with reports suggesting his mother, Lynda Richards, struggled to identify him when she visited him in hospital.
With Samantha maintaining her firm refusal, uncertainty remains over who will take charge of Huntley’s funeral arrangements, or whether a service will take place at all.
An inquest into his death is expected to begin next month, which may provide further details about his final moments and the circumstances surrounding the fatal attack.
