A prisoner has appeared before a crown court judge after he was charged with the prison murder of Soham killer Ian Huntley.
Anthony Russell, 43, appeared at Teesside Crown Court via a videolink from HMP Frankland, near Durham, this morning (Thursday, March 12).
Russell is charged with a single offence of murdering the 52-year-old, who was allegedly attacked with a metal bar in a workshop at the maximum security jail, on February 26.
Huntley was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where he died on Saturday (March 7) morning.
Durham Police confirmed on Tuesday that Russell had been charged with murder.
During the ten-minute hearing before Judge Francis Laird KC, Russell confirmed his name and date of birth.
Sitting at a table in a conference room, he followed the proceedings in court.
He was not asked to enter a plea and was told there will be a pre-trial preparation hearing on April 24 at Newcastle Crown Court.
The judge confirmed with Tyrone Smith KC, defending, that Russell was on the link and cooperating fully with the proceedings.
Concluding the hearing, Judge Laird said: “Mr Russell, that is the end of the case today.
“You will next be before the court on April 24, and I direct you may attend that hearing remotely.
“If your lawyers feel there is merit in you being at Newcastle Crown Court then they will be at liberty to apply to the court administratively to ensure your attendance at that hearing.”
Russell replied: “Thank you.”
Huntley was serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
The ex-school caretaker killed the best friends after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4 2002. He dumped their bodies in a ditch 10 miles away.
They were not found for 13 days despite a search involving hundreds of police officers.
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Man to appear in court charged with murdering Soham killer Ian Huntley
Prisoner appears in court charged with murder of Soham killer Ian Huntley
Man due in court charged with murdering Soham killer Ian Huntley in prison attack
At the time, Huntley lived with Maxine Carr who was a teaching assistant at Holly and Jessica’s primary school.
He denied murdering the girls but was convicted after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2003.
He was jailed for life with a recommended minimum term of 40 years.
Carr gave Huntley a false alibi and was jailed for 21 months for perverting the course of justice.
She is now living under a new identity.
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