Ian Huntley Dies After Prison Assault; Inmate Charged

Ian Huntley, the former school caretaker convicted of murdering two 10-year-old girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in 2002, died on March 7, 2025, following a brutal attack by another inmate at HMP Frankland, a high-security prison in County Durham. Anthony Russell, 43, who is serving a whole-life sentence for three murders, has been charged with Huntley's murder and appeared in court last week.

Huntley, 52, was assaulted in a prison workshop on February 26 with a metal bar, suffering severe head injuries. Prison paramedics found him barely breathing and covered in blood. He was rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where he was placed on a ventilator but given only a 5 percent chance of survival. Doctors withdrew life support 10 days later, and Huntley died that Saturday morning. His mother, Lynda Richards, 71, was at his bedside and consulted on the decision. She is arranging a private funeral at an undisclosed location.

Russell, originally from Coventry, appeared via video link at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing. Wearing a grey jumper, he spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. The case was transferred to Newcastle Crown Court,...