Ian Huntley, the convicted child killer, was working as a prison barber in the weeks before he was fatally attacked by another inmate at HMP Frankland in County Durham. The 52-year-old earned £20 a week and had been given his own clippers after passing a hairdressing course, according to reports.
Huntley was serving life for the 2002 murders of ten-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. He died in March after suffering catastrophic brain injuries when his life support was switched off. Another prisoner, Anthony Russell, 43, is due to stand trial for murder next month.
Life behind bars
Details of Huntley's life in prison have now emerged, showing he was one of the wealthiest inmates at the Category A prison, which has also housed Peter Sutcliffe and Harold Shipman. He reportedly had £1,300 in savings from his time working behind bars.
It is claimed he left most of his savings untouched but had bought a tracksuit, CDs, and PlayStation games. His music tastes included the Eurythmics, Meat Loaf, Status Quo, Neil Diamond, and Michael Jackson.
No friends in death
A source told The Sun: "He was probably one of the wealthiest inmates, but that's what happens when you spend more than two decades behind bars. He'd been in prison for 24 years and learned all sorts in that time, including Braille and sign language. He was a painter for a number of years and loved that, but he decided to take a hairdressing course and passed. He later gave up smoking and the money he saved from that he left in his prison account."
Huntley was not known to have many friends behind bars, and that continued after his death. His body was left in a hospital morgue after authorities struggled to find anyone willing to claim his remains. An insider told the Daily Star: "This is a man that even in death nobody wants anything to do with. No one cares about him, or his final resting place."
Funeral arrangements
Prison authorities contacted all family members, including his mother and biological daughter, but both declined to make private funeral arrangements. His mother agreed only to a pauper's funeral.
Under normal prison regulations, Huntley would be cremated in his hometown of Soham, but locals would "riot" if given a decent send-off there. Instead, he will be cremated "after hours, on the quiet" with no ceremony.
