Ian Huntley, Convicted Child Killer in Infamous Soham Case, Dies After Brutal Prison Attack
LONDON (AP) — Ian Huntley, the British man convicted of murdering two 10-year-old schoolgirls in one of the United Kingdom’s most notorious child-killing cases, has died after being attacked by another inmate in prison. He was 52.
Huntley died days after suffering catastrophic injuries during an assault inside HM Prison Frankland, a high-security prison that houses some of the country’s most dangerous offenders. Authorities said the attack occurred in a prison workshop where Huntley was beaten with what investigators believe was an improvised weapon.
He was rushed to a hospital with severe head trauma and placed on life support. Officials later confirmed he died after doctors determined he would not recover from the injuries.
Police have launched an investigation into the assault. British media reports identified another inmate, Anthony Russell, as the suspected attacker, though authorities have not publicly confirmed charges.
Huntley had been serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of 10-year-old friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The girls disappeared from the town of Soham after leaving a family barbecue, triggering a massive national search effort that lasted nearly two weeks.
Their bodies were later discovered near a rural air base roughly 10 miles from their hometown. Investigators determined Huntley, who worked as a school caretaker, lured the children into his home before killing them and disposing of their bodies.
The case shocked the United Kingdom and led to sweeping reforms in how background checks are conducted for people working with children.
Huntley was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 40 years. His then-girlfriend, Maxine Carr, was later jailed for providing him with a false alibi during the investigation.
During more than two decades behind bars, Huntley was repeatedly targeted by other inmates because of the nature of his crimes. He survived multiple previous attacks, including a 2010 incident in which another prisoner slashed his throat.
The murders of Wells and Chapman remain one of the most disturbing criminal cases in modern British history, and their deaths continue to resonate across the country more than two decades later.
