Ian Huntley Attacked in Prison: Child Killer Seen as 'Lowest of the Low'
Ian Huntley, the convicted double murderer of Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, has been attacked in HMP Frankland prison in County Durham. The 52-year-old was reportedly ambushed by another inmate wielding a metal bar in a prison workshop earlier today, leaving him in a critical condition described as "touch and go."
Prison Hierarchy: Even Sex Offenders Despise Child Killers
Legal experts have explained that Huntley occupies the absolute bottom rung of the prison social hierarchy. Marcus Johnstone, Managing Director of PCD Solicitors and a specialist in criminal defence for sexual offences cases, detailed how Huntley's crimes have made him particularly vulnerable.
"Based on the severity and depravity of his crimes, Huntley will have lived his prison life largely segregated from the rest of the prison population," Johnstone explained. "He would be classed as a vulnerable prisoner and likely held with other prisoners - ie sex offenders. However, as a child killer he would also be disliked by sex offenders. Even sex offenders have boundaries that would not cross."
The Attack and Immediate Aftermath
The assault occurred this morning at the Category A prison, which houses approximately 800 male inmates over 21 convicted of serious crimes. Huntley was discovered in a pool of blood before being airlifted to hospital for emergency treatment.
Durham Constabulary confirmed: "Police were alerted to an assault which had taken place within HMP Frankland in Durham this morning. A male prisoner suffered serious injuries during the incident and was transported to hospital. A police investigation is now underway into the circumstances of the incident and detectives are liaising with staff at the prison."
A Prison Service spokesperson added: "A prisoner is receiving treatment after an incident at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning. It would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate."
Life Behind Bars for a Notorious Child Killer
Johnstone elaborated on Huntley's prison experience, noting that while his early years would have been spent in isolation at HMP Frankland and other high-security facilities, prison authorities have a duty to attempt rehabilitation alongside punishment.
"Over time, Huntley would have become eligible to attend offending behaviour courses - which may result in him having contact with non-vulnerable prisoners," Johnstone said. "He may also have medical problems, and as we have seen on other cases, attacks can happen in the medical wing. Movement around the prison, even attending for visits (legal and domestic), can place such a prisoner at an increased risk of attack."
Prison Culture and Reputation Building
Drawing from his extensive experience visiting high-security prisons across the country, Johnstone revealed the dangerous reality for inmates like Huntley.
"Consistently, almost every sex offender inmate I have met lives in fear for their lives - and a great many violent offenders I have spoken to would jump at the opportunity to attack a man like Huntley," he stated. "This enhances their 'reputation' in the prison estate."
Background: The Soham Murders and Sentencing
Ian Huntley was convicted in December 2003 for the murders of 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who disappeared from the Cambridgeshire village of Soham in August 2002. In 2005, High Court judge Mr Justice Moses sentenced Huntley to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years.
The fact that his victims were young children has compounded his vulnerability within the prison system, where even among those convicted of serious sexual offences, child killers are viewed with particular contempt.
