As Ian Huntley ‘fights for his life’ following a horror attack behind the bars of HMP Frankland, the Mirror takes a look at the notorious Soham killer’s life in prison
Ian Huntley is fighting for his life following a violent attack in jail, in yet another grim assault on the notorious Soham killer.
The 52-year-old was allegedly targeted by another inmate at County Durham’s infamous HMP Frankland – aka ‘Monster Mansion’ – at approximately 9 am this morning (February 26), where he was left lying in a pool of blood. He was then airlifted to the hospital, where he is said to be fighting for his life. This marks another dark chapter in the prison life of Huntley, who is responsible for one of the most shocking crimes against children in British history.
The August 2002 vanishing of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman left the nation reeling, and led to over 400 police officers descending on the tranquil Cambridgeshire town of Soham. They worked round-the-clock, aided by local volunteers, in a desperate attempt to locate the two 10-year-old best mates who disappeared from a family barbecue.
However, it was sinister school caretaker Huntley, who participated in the search and spoke to the media about last seeing the girls outside his home, who harboured a chilling secret – he was their killer. Holly and Jessica left their family party in search of sweets from the vending machine at the local leisure centre and, on their return journey, passed Huntley’s residence in the school’s caretaker quarters. His girlfriend, Maxine Carr, also lived there but had spent that weekend back in Grimsby, the town where the couple first crossed paths.
READ MORE: Ian Huntley fighting for life after being left in pool of blood in jail attack
After spotting the duo, Huntley enticed them into his home, claiming that Carr, a teaching assistant at their school, was inside. Huntley then murdered the girls and concealed their bodies in an irrigation ditch near the RAF base, roughly 10 miles from their home. They were discovered by a gamekeeper.
It transpired that Huntley, who had already been brought in for questioning, had returned to the location where he dumped the bodies to remove the girls’ distinctive Manchester United shirts and tried to incinerate them in an effort to obliterate any DNA evidence.
He subsequently disposed of the shirts in a bin at his workplace, concealing them beneath another bag of rubbish. However, the police unearthed them, marking a pivotal turning point in the investigation. On August 20, Huntley was charged with two counts of murder and, in December 2003, was handed two life sentences, with a minimum term of 40 years behind bars.
Carr, meanwhile, faced charges of aiding and abetting an offender on two counts but was acquitted. She was, however, sentenced to three-and-a-half years for perverting the course of justice. Upon her release, after serving just half of her sentence, she was given a new identity.
Huntley, who won’t be eligible for parole until at least 2042, is currently incarcerated in HMP Frankland, Durham. The murderer is perpetually under threat from fellow inmates and has experienced numerous health issues and suicide attempts during his time inside.
In 2003 while he was awaiting trial, he was reportedly in a coma following an attempt on his own life. He was found having a fit in his cell. The killer had been on suicide watch and prison warders had orders to check him every 15 minutes
Regarding this latest attack, a source today told The Sun: “It was absolute chaos, and Huntley was in a terrible state. I’m amazed someone was able to get anywhere near him because he is usually really closely protected. They must have timed it when he wasn’t with prison officers and must have used a weapon to injure him so severely.”
This is far from the only time Huntley has been left requiring medical attention following run-ins with his fellow lags. In 2005, whilst at HMP Wakefield, Huntley was attacked with boiling water by convicted mass murderer Mark Hobson. Two years after being moved to HMP Frankland in 2008, Huntley’s neck was slashed by convicted armed robber Damien Fowkes, necessitating hospital treatment.
Back in April 2007, Huntley admitted to sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl he had dragged into an orchard a decade earlier. A former prisoner at HMP Frankland revealed to The Mirror in 2016 that Huntley was living a disturbing dual existence within the prison walls.
Fellow inmates never knew which version of the killer would emerge from his cell each morning – the swaggering, arrogant ruler of the wing or the pitiful, suicidal shell of a man. The source described: “He has constant ups and downs. On a high, he’ll walk the corridors, mocking other prisoners and acting the big man.”
Yet at other times, they’d witness the shuffling recluse, wallowing in self-pity about not being eligible for parole until he turns 71 in 2042. According to the former prisoner, Huntley is fond of watching television and playing video games on consoles purchased with his prison earnings.
They continued: “Huntley rarely gets involved in group activity and never goes to the yard. He stands around by the kitchens, moaning he wants more food. He’s only about 5ft 2in but he’s over 15st.” And in 2017, The Mirror exclusively reported that Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe had a disturbing prison confrontation with Huntley.
Sutcliffe branded Huntley a “child killing b*****d” during the face-to-face bust-up and ordered him to “p*** off” during the clash at their Category A prison. The extraordinary incident was disclosed by Sutcliffe’s brother Carl, who said: “Peter thinks he’s a higher class of killer than Huntley, but a murderer is a murderer in my eyes.”
Shooting down speculation that the two killers had formed a friendship, Carl remarked, “He doesn’t like Huntley at all. Peter’s always been good with kids, and he must think killing two children is worse than 13 women. But it doesn’t make sense to me.”
Throughout his trial, Huntley maintained he had “killed the girls accidentally”, but in 2018, leaked recordings from his prison cell captured him expressing remorse for the murders.
“I know the people of Soham took me into their community, they trusted me, gave me a job and a home, and I betrayed them in the worst possible way,” he stated in the tapes. “And I am sorry for what I have done, sorry for the pain I have caused to the families and friends of Holly and Jessica, for the pain I have caused my family and friends, and for the pain I have caused the community of Soham.
“I am genuinely, genuinely sorry, and it breaks my heart when it is reported I have no remorse, that I relish something. I do not.” Following an admission he couldn’t undo his actions, the killer continued: “I know I am never getting out. I have accepted that from day one.”
In November 2019, Huntley was reportedly placed in solitary confinement following an incident where he swore at an official and lashed out at a guard. The kick was branded ‘pathetic’ by a jail source, who further alleged the murderer was in tears as he was hauled back to segregation, according to The Sun.
The beast’s special privileges were reportedly revoked following the assault, resulting in him losing his £20-a-week painting job and being denied his favourite fish and chip meals. An insider revealed: “He’s almost unrecognisable now from what the public would remember. He looks like a skinny old man with no fight left in him.”
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