Ian Huntley, the convicted killer of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, has been left blind and is not expected to regain consciousness after a violent attack inside a British maximum-security prison, according to The Sun.
The tabloid reported that the 52-year-old suffered severe brain trauma after being struck repeatedly over the head with a metal bar in a workshop at HMP Frankland in Durham on Feb. 26. Huntley has been on life support in hospital since the attack, The Sun said, citing unnamed sources.
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Durham Constabulary confirmed on the day of the assault that a man in his mid-40s had been detained in connection with the incident. The force has not named the suspect or provided further details about possible charges. The Ministry of Justice has not publicly commented on Huntley’s condition.
The Sun reported the attack left Huntley blind and quoted a source as saying, “Huntley never recovered from the battering and never stood much of a chance of doing so.” The paper also published comments from Huntley’s daughter, Samantha Bryan, 27, who told The Sun on Sunday: “There’s a special place in hell waiting for him.”
Huntley, a former school caretaker, is serving a life sentence for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on Aug. 4, 2002. The girls, who had left a family barbecue to buy sweets, were lured to Huntley’s home and killed. Their bodies were later found in a ditch outside the town, a crime that shocked Britain and led to widespread scrutiny of vetting procedures for those working with children.
The reported assault at HMP Frankland is the latest in a series of attacks Huntley has faced behind bars. In 2010, fellow inmate Damien Fowkes slashed Huntley with a home-made weapon, leaving what a court heard was a “severe, gaping cut” to the left side of his neck measuring about 18 centimeters and requiring 21 stitches. After the attack, Fowkes asked a prison officer, “Is he dead? I hope so,” and later described Huntley as a “notorious child killer, both inside prison and in society in general.”
Huntley is subject to a whole-life tariff recommendation of at least 40 years, imposed for the Soham murders. He has been moved between high-security facilities since his conviction, and has been understood to be under close observation due to the risk of reprisals by other prisoners.
The latest incident underscores the persistent danger high-profile offenders face in custody, particularly those convicted of crimes against children. While prisons are required to protect inmates from violence, attacks involving improvised weapons have occurred in workshops and communal areas even within Category A establishments such as Frankland.
Authorities have not released an update on any ongoing investigation into the Feb. 26 assault. It remains unclear whether the suspect will face additional charges or whether security protocols at the facility will be reviewed in light of the incident.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
