Child killer Ian Huntley remains in a serious condition in hospital one day after a prison workshop attack that saw him "knocked unconscious with a metal pole”.
The 52-year-old suffered serious head injuries during an assault at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning (February 26).
Durham Police said yesterday that a fellow prisoner in his 40s had been identified as a suspect and remains in the prison.
The Sun, which first reported the attack, said the killer was knocked unconscious with a metal pole and quoted a source saying his condition was “touch and go”.
According to the paper, a man shouted “I’ve done it, I’ve done it” after the 52-year-old was hit six times before being left in a pool of blood. He was then taken to hospital.
And now, in an update on Friday morning (February 27), the force confirmed that there had been no change to his condition overnight.
A short statement reads: “There has been no change in the 52-year-old man’s condition overnight – he remains in hospital in a serious condition”.
Specialist forensic teams spent yesterday examining the scene in the workshop of the maximum security jail as the investigation got underway.
Former caretaker Huntley is serving a minimum term of 40 years for the murders of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002.
Huntley lured the girls to his home before killing them and dumping their bodies in a ditch. Their bodies were discovered more than a week later, 12 miles from their home town.
He has been held at HMP Frankland among some of the UK's worst killers, a high-security prison in County Durham, for a number of years.
A Prison Service spokesperson previously said: “A prisoner is receiving treatment after an incident at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate."
Thursday’s assault was the latest attempt on Huntley’s life and he was thought to have been kept under close observation to prevent similar attacks.
Read more:
Man yelled 'I've done it' after attacking Ian Huntley in HMP Frankland - reports
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He is serving a life sentence with a recommendation that he serves at least 40 years for the murders.
In 2010, robber Damien Fowkes slashed Huntley with a home-made weapon, causing a “severe, gaping cut to the left side of his neck” with a 7in (18cm) wound which required 21 stitches.
Fowkes asked a prison officer: “Is he dead? I hope so.”
He described Huntley as a “notorious child killer, both inside prison and in society in general”.
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