A journalist who covered the disappearance of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman has recounted his eerie encounters with Ian Huntley, following the child murderer's death in hospital after an attack in prison.
Nick Hopkins, writing in The Guardian, recalled passing by Huntley and asking why radiators at Soham Village College were so warm despite it being summer. 'What was the caretaker thinking when he opened the doors to Soham village college to let us in? Or when we asked, idly, why in the warmth of summer, the radiators in the classrooms were running so hot?' Hopkins reflected.
Huntley, a former school caretaker, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly and Jessica in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on 4 August 2002. He was given two life sentences with a minimum term of 40 years.
Huntley died in hospital around a week after being attacked at HMP Frankland, a category A prison in County Durham. According to reports, he suffered severe trauma to the brain, allegedly from a spiked metal pole, and life support was withdrawn on Friday.
Durham Constabulary confirmed his death and said a police investigation into the incident is ongoing. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'The murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman remain one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation's history, and our thoughts are with their families.'
