Ian Huntley, the notorious Soham murderer, has died after being savagely beaten over the head multiple times with a metal bar. The attack occurred behind bars at HMP Frankland, Durham, on February 26.
Huntley, aged 52, succumbed to his injuries at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle on March 7, according to an inquest held in Crook, County Durham.
The brief inquest was opened by Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield on Tuesday. Coroner’s officer Bradley King confirmed the details in a short statement: “This 52-year-old male … was struck over the head multiple times by another prisoner with an object described as a metal bar. The assault left Mr Huntley with significant head injuries.”
Pathologist Dr Jennifer Bolton performed a post mortem examination and ruled the cause of death as “blunt head injury.”
Police are investigating the brutal killing inside the high-security prison. Anthony Russell, 43, has been charged with murder in connection with the assault on Huntley.
The inquest has been adjourned until May 27, pending developments in the criminal case. Russell is scheduled to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on April 24 for a pre-trial hearing.
Ian Huntley was serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire. The girls disappeared after leaving a family barbecue to buy sweets and were found dead days later.
Huntley, a former school caretaker, lived with Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant at the girls’ school. He denied the murders but was convicted at the Old Bailey in 2003 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years.
Maxine Carr was jailed for 21 months for perverting the course of justice after providing Huntley with a false alibi. She now lives under a new identity.
Stay tuned for updates as the case unfolds.
Originally published by UKNIP.
