Ian Huntley, the former school caretaker convicted of murdering 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, has died in hospital following an attack at HMP Frankland. The 52-year-old was assaulted in a prison workshop on 26 February, reportedly with a spiked metal pole, and suffered severe brain trauma. He was taken off life support on Friday after his condition deteriorated.
Huntley was serving two life sentences for the murders of the girls, who disappeared from Soham, Cambridgeshire, on 4 August 2002. Their bodies were found 13 days later in a ditch near an RAF base. The case prompted one of the largest police investigations in British history, involving 400 officers.
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.' Durham Constabulary confirmed that a police investigation into the attack is ongoing and a file is being prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service.
HMP Frankland, a category A prison in County Durham, houses several high-profile inmates, including Michael Adebolajo, Levi Bellfield, and Wayne Couzens. Violent incidents at the prison have occurred previously, including an attack on prison officers in April 2023.
