Camilla Jessen
Child murderer Ian Huntley left fighting for life after assault.
Convicted child murderer Ian Huntley has reportedly been left blind after a violent attack inside a high-security prison. The 52-year-old is currently in hospital and remains in a serious condition.
Huntley, who is serving life for the 2002 murders of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was attacked inside a prison workshop.
According to reports, another inmate repeatedly struck him with a spiked metal pole.
Witnesses claimed the alleged attacker shouted: “I’ve done it, I’ve done it. I’ve killed him, I’ve killed him.”
Police have identified a suspect but have not confirmed whether any arrests have been made.
Serious injuries
Following the assault, Huntley was taken to hospital where he remains in critical condition.
According to The Sun, he has reportedly been declared blind after suffering severe injuries to his eyes and brain trauma.
A source cited by the newspaper claimed his condition has not improved significantly since he was admitted to hospital and that his chances of survival are considered low.
Durham Constabulary said there had been no change in his condition overnight.
Soham murders
Huntley was convicted in 2003 for murdering 10-year-old friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
The girls disappeared from Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002, and their bodies were discovered two weeks later in a ditch near Lakenheath, Suffolk.
Huntley, who worked as a school caretaker, initially spoke to the media during the search for the missing girls before becoming a suspect.
His then-girlfriend, Maxine Carr, who had worked as a teaching assistant at the girls’ school, was later convicted of perverting the course of justice.
Suspicion raised
Former Press Association reporter Brian Farmer told the BBC that Huntley’s comments during early interviews raised suspicions.
“I asked Carr if the girls were taught about stranger-danger at school, and how they might have reacted, for example, if they had been approached by a man in a car,” Farmer said.
“To my astonishment, Huntley leapt in. He said he thought Holly would probably get in the car and be quiet, but Jessica wouldn’t. Jessica would put up a real fight and a real struggle.”
Huntley’s daughter Samantha Bryan told The Sun she felt relief after hearing about the attack.
“I started crying because I thought he was dead – it was an overwhelming sense of relief, being his daughter has been a heavy burden,” she said.
“It felt like I could breathe again. I felt if he died, that burden died with him. There’s a special place in hell waiting for him.”
