Ian Huntley's biological daughter, Samantha Bryan, has spoken of her relief after learning of the fatal attack on her father in prison. The child killer, who murdered 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, died in hospital on Saturday following an assault at HMP Frankland in County Durham.
Huntley was struck multiple times to the head with a metal pole in a workshop, allegedly by triple murderer Anthony Russell. He suffered severe brain injuries and was placed in a medically induced coma. On Friday night, medics withdrew the ventilator keeping him alive after consulting his mother.
Samantha Bryan, 27, said she was 'glad' when she heard of the attack, telling The Sun: 'I started crying because I thought he was dead. It was an overwhelming sense of relief. Being his daughter has been a heavy burden. It felt like I could breathe again.'
Bryan only discovered her connection to Huntley at age 14 through a school crime project. She later wrote to him in prison seeking answers, but he rejected her request for a visit in a letter that read: 'Given the probable length of my future and your current motives I doubt there will be enough time for a significant shift in circumstances in order for us to ever meet.'
She described him as a 'pitiful, twisted, manipulative coward' and said his letter left her with more questions. Before his death, she stated there was 'a special place in hell waiting for dad'. Huntley was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for the murders.
