Ian Huntley attacked in prison – what we know so far – Hull Live

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The double child killer is serving life behind bars for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002

19:31, 26 Feb 2026

Huntley was left in a serious condition after being attacked in jail(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Soham killer Ian Huntley is in hospital after being attacked in prison

  1. Grimsby-born Soham killer Ian Huntley was attacked at HMP Frankland in County Durham on Thursday morning. He was taken to hospital where his condition was tonight described by police as serious.
  2. Huntley, 52, is understood to have been attacked with a metal bar during a workshop and received head injuries.
  3. Durham Constabulary provided an update on both Huntley’s condition and details surrounding the suspect on Thursday night, with a spokesman confirming a male prisoner in his mid-40s has since been identified as a suspect in the assault.
  4. They said: “The 52-year-old prisoner who was injured during this morning’s assault in the workshop at HMP Frankland remains in a serious condition in hospital following treatment for head injuries. Police forensic teams have examined the scene of the attack throughout the day to gather evidence. A suspect, a male prisoner in his mid-40s, has been identified by officers investigating the incident. He has not been arrested at this stage but remains in detention within the prison.”
  5. A Prison Service spokesperson said: “A prisoner is receiving treatment after an incident at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning. It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst police investigate.”
  6. Huntley is serving a life sentence for the murders of 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who disappeared in 2002 after leaving a family party to buy sweets.
  7. The convicted murderer has been held at HMP Frankland for the most recent years of his 40-year sentence.
  8. Huntley has previous been targeted in prison. In 2010, Damien Fowkes slashed Huntley with a makeshift weapon, inflicting a severe wound to his neck.
  9. READ MORE: Ian Huntley ‘fighting for life’ after prison attack
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