Ian Huntley, the former school caretaker convicted of murdering two 10-year-old girls in the Soham murders, has died after being attacked in prison.
The 52-year-old suffered severe head injuries after another inmate assaulted him with a makeshift weapon at HMP Frankland, a high-security prison in County Durham, on 26 February. He had been placed on life support in hospital but died days later.
Huntley had been serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for the 2002 murders of best friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, whose disappearance shocked the United Kingdom.
Authorities say the attack is being investigated, with reports suggesting another prisoner is suspected of carrying out the assault. Huntley had previously been targeted by inmates multiple times during his imprisonment.
The Ministry of Justice described the Soham murders as one of the most devastating crimes in the country’s history and said its thoughts remain with the families of the two victims.
Holly and Jessica disappeared in August 2002 after leaving a family barbecue in Soham, near Cambridge. After a massive national search, their bodies were discovered two weeks later in a ditch near RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
Huntley was arrested the same day the bodies were found and later convicted of the murders. His former girlfriend, Maxine Carr, was also jailed for providing him with a false alibi during the investigation.
