A prison officer who worked on the “beastly” A-wing with "manipulative" Ian Huntley said the killer - who was seriously injured in an attack - was a “loner” and "arrogant”.
The source, who has since moved to another North East prison, said a code red alert rang out when the Soham murderer was “attacked with a metal pole” at HMP Frankland on Thursday.
And, while the 52-year-old “fights for his life” in hospital following the incident, the prison officer has recalled his “rough” five-year stint at Durham's ‘Monster Mansion’.
He described Huntley, who is serving a minimum 40 year sentence for murdering schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, as “difficult”, saying he “rubbed people up all the time”.
It comes as Claire Lewis, a former Frankland officer who was attacked there in 2010, says there was "always going to be a bounty" on the killer.
'Huntley was manipulative'
The anonymous prison officer, who also rubbed shoulders with the likes of Levi Bellfield and Peter Sutcliffe, told The Northern Echo: “I was a key worker when I joined - and by then Huntley had already been in the prison system for years.
“He was just very needy. He knows the system and he thinks he is going to get out. He hangs onto hope that he is going to be released.
“He can be quite manipulative, for example little things like saying ‘oh you’re a good officer’ to staff. He knows the system inside out.
“If for instance we were given a specific time to unlock, if we unlocked one minute late, he would say: ‘you’re f****** late’.
"He would then demand he got put behind his door one minute later.
“He was very difficult and awkward. He very much knows what he is entitled to. He is an arrogant *****, rubs people up all the time. and he has never shown remorse.”
The insider added that Huntley was actually a “bit of a loner”, despite making friends with some others on the wing.
Huntley remains in hospital in a serious condition as of Friday (February 27) following the attack, which The Sun reported saw the killer “knocked unconscious with a metal pole”.
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.
The prisoner officer was alerted to the incident while at work: “It was a code red, which means there is blood involved.
“It came through over the radio at [the prison I work in now]. All the officers then respond.
“There would have been about 40 staff members there responding and they would have isolated the other prisoners. The instructor was really shaken up. He is a really nice guy.”
He said the incident took place in a recycling workshop, which is solely for high profile prisoners and sees them sift through rubbish from the cells.
“Huntley has worked there for about seven years”, he said. “It is the only workshop he does.
“Levi Bellfield worked there and Wayne Couzens worked there with him.”
He claimed several prison staff even had to be sent home in taxis following the ordeal.
Huntley was ‘always going to be bounty’
Claire Lewis, a former Frankland officer who was attacked by killer Kevin Thakrar in 2010, said there is always an “element of risk” with a high profile prisoner like Huntley.
She said: “He is always going to be bounty, because he has always been kept in the limelight for years and years. He has been attacked on several occasions.
“I had interactions with him and I dealt with him like I would deal with any prisoner.
There was no preferential treatment for him. He was not particularly a problem prisoner, but he was placed in separation from other prisoners when he first came to the prison.
“He had guards escorting him when I was there, but any prisoners get escorted; it is a high security prison. But because of his notoriety, he was managed somewhat slightly differently.
“He completely went about his business when I was there. He didn’t have any sort of people who looked out for him when I was there that I was aware of.”
During her stint in the prison, Claire was stabbed by Kevan Thakrar, causing career ending injuries - and at the time even made her fear she would “never see her children again”.
It took place in the same month that Huntley was slashed by robber Damien Fowkes, and Claire remembers the press coverage “far outweighing” her ordeal.
She said that, after first hearing of the incident on Thursday, her first concerns were with the staff - but warned against people praising the prisoner suspected of carrying out the attack.
“Let’s not forget he is also in a high-security prison for a reason”, she said. “People need to be mindful of the fact that the person is also in there for crimes he has committed.”
Read more:
Killer Ian Huntley remains in serious condition as police issue attack update
Man yelled 'I've done it' after attacking Ian Huntley in HMP Frankland - reports
The inmates caged at 'Monster Mansion' as Ian Huntley 'fights for life' after attack
But Claire said that she didn’t think you could have any further levels of security in prisons for these types of incidents: “The workshops are manned by staff and instructors and if a prisoner suddenly turns, as you know, it is in an instant and a split second.
“The staff will have been there and then will have called for backup.
“If someone has got a metal bar and they are going to hit somebody, it is not going to take. You are talking seconds and it is game over.”
Share