Soham murderer Ian Huntley is fighting for his life after being violently attacked in prison. The 52-year-old was taken to hospital with serious head injuries after being found lying in a pool of blood in his cell at HMP Frankland, a category A men's prison in County Durham. Reports indicate he was attacked with a metal bar in the prison workshop.
The suspect has been named as triple killer Anthony Russell. Huntley was reportedly given just a five per cent chance of survival after the assault, which left his head 'split in two'. A Durham Constabulary spokesperson said there has been no change in his condition overnight and he remains in hospital in a serious condition.
Sources claim Huntley had been paranoid about being poisoned and was carefully watching what he ate, as he knew he was a target. In the lead-up to the attack, he reportedly made two big changes, and inmates had long vied for the notoriety of being the one to attack him.
Huntley's mother, Lynda Richardson, reportedly did not recognise her son when she visited him in hospital due to the extent of his injuries. Sources close to her say she hopes he 'passes' this time, adding: 'Part of her just hopes he passes away this time. But he's still her son, regardless of what happened, and they have remained very close.'
Huntley is serving a life sentence for the murders of 10-year-old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in 2002. This is not the first attack on him in prison; in 2010, he was slashed with a home-made weapon, requiring 21 stitches.
