Ian Huntley, the man convicted of murdering schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, has been seriously injured in an attack at HMP Frankland in County Durham. The prisoner, understood to be Huntley, was taken to hospital after the assault on Thursday morning, Durham Constabulary confirmed.
According to reports, Huntley was knocked unconscious with a metal pole, with a source describing his condition as 'touch and go'. Police were alerted to the incident at 9:23am and dispatched two ambulance crews, with support from the Great North Air Ambulance. The prisoner was transported to hospital by road.
Durham Constabulary said in a statement: '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 under way.'
Huntley, a former school caretaker, was sentenced to life in 2003 for the murders of the two 10-year-old girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire. The case prompted one of the largest police searches in British history. His then-partner, Maxine Carr, served half of a 42-month sentence for perverting the course of justice.
HMP Frankland is a category A prison housing several high-profile inmates, including Michael Adebolajo, Levi Bellfield, and Wayne Couzens. Violent incidents at the prison are not uncommon; in April last year, three prison officers were seriously injured in an attack by inmate Hashem Abedi.
