A man accused of murdering child killer Ian Huntley in prison may not be fit to stand trial, an inquest has heard. Huntley, 52, died at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle nine days after being attacked at HMP Frankland in February 2026.
Huntley, who was serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was struck over the head multiple times with a metal bar. Inmate Anthony Russell, 43, has been charged with his murder and is due to appear in court for a pre-trial preparation hearing on June 3.
Senior Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield adjourned the inquest until September 15 due to the ongoing criminal case against Russell. Huntley, a former school caretaker, killed the two girls after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, and dumped their bodies in a ditch 10 miles away.
They were not found for 13 days despite a large police search. Huntley lived with Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant at the girls' school, who gave him a false alibi and was jailed for perverting the course of justice. Huntley was convicted in 2003 and given a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years.
While in prison, Huntley was attacked multiple times, including having boiling water thrown over him in 2005 and having his throat slashed in 2010, requiring 21 stitches.
