On the morning of February 26, 2026, Ian Huntley—the man whose name has haunted British criminal history since the Soham murders of 2002—was found in a pool of blood inside HMP Frankland, a high-security prison in County Durham. The 52-year-old, serving a life sentence for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was the victim of a brutal attack that left him fighting for his life—an event that has once again thrust his notorious case into the national spotlight.
According to Sky News and The Mirror, Huntley was assaulted in a prison workshop, struck at least six times in the head with a three-foot metal pole fitted with a spike. Sources told The Sun that the attack was so severe that Huntley was initially thought to be dead by staff who discovered him. Medics, however, “worked miracles” to keep him alive, placing him in an induced coma and rushing him to hospital by road after emergency crews—including an air ambulance—responded to the distress call at 9:23 AM.
Despite the dramatic arrival of the air ambulance, Huntley was ultimately transported to hospital by road. A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed: “We received a call at 9.23am on Thursday 26 February 2026 to reports of an incident at HM Prison Frankland in County Durham. We dispatched two ambulance crews to the scene and requested support from the Great North Air Ambulance Service. One patient was transported to hospital by road.”
Durham Constabulary, in a statement echoed by multiple outlets, said there was “no change in the 52-year-old man’s condition overnight—he remains in hospital in a serious condition.” The severity of Huntley’s injuries was underscored by medical staff, with sources telling The Sun that Huntley was given just a five percent chance of survival after the attack. “It is miraculous he is still alive. Medics have worked miracles on him and he has clung on,” one source said. “When it first happened, he was totally unresponsive and could not breathe.”
Police forensic teams combed the scene for evidence throughout the day. The suspect, identified in several reports as triple killer Anthony Russell, 43, remains in detention within the prison but has not been formally arrested as of this writing. Russell is serving a whole-life term for a series of murders committed in 2020. According to The Standard, the attacker reportedly shouted, “I’ve done it, I’ve done it. I’ve killed him, I’ve killed him,” after the assault—a chilling echo of the violence that has marked both men’s criminal histories.
This isn’t the first time Huntley has faced violence behind bars. His notoriety as a child killer has made him a target since his incarceration. In 2010, armed robber Damien Fowkes slashed Huntley’s throat with a makeshift knife, inflicting a seven-inch wound that required 21 stitches. Fowkes reportedly asked a prison officer, “Is he dead? I hope so.” Prior to that, in 2005, murderer Mark Hobson scalded Huntley with boiling water at Wakefield Prison. And in 2018, Huntley himself claimed to have fended off another attempt on his life by overpowering an inmate armed with a razor blade attached to a toothbrush.
The Soham murders themselves remain among the most harrowing crimes in recent British memory. On August 4, 2002, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman left a family barbecue in Soham, Cambridgeshire, to buy sweets. Huntley, then a school caretaker, lured them into his home and killed them before dumping their bodies in a ditch. He later volunteered to help with the search and even appeared on camera, feigning concern. The search for the girls lasted 13 days and was described as one of the most intense in British criminal history. Huntley and his then-girlfriend Maxine Carr, the girls’ teaching assistant, were arrested on August 17, 2002. Carr provided Huntley with a false alibi and was later jailed for perverting the course of justice.
Huntley’s trial at the Old Bailey in late 2003 lasted six weeks. He denied the murders, claiming one girl died accidentally and he panicked, but a jury convicted him of both murders. He was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment with a recommendation to serve at least 40 years—a rare and severe tariff in the UK justice system.
Huntley’s time in prison has been tumultuous, marked by multiple suicide attempts and attacks by fellow inmates. In June 2003, before his trial, he reportedly attempted suicide at Woodhill prison, resulting in a coma. In 2006, he was found unconscious in his cell at Wakefield Prison after another suspected overdose. Further attempts followed, including another hospitalization in 2012. In 2019, Huntley reportedly ended up in solitary confinement for lashing out at officers.
Legal and prison experts note that prisoners convicted of crimes against children are among the most vulnerable in the prison system. Marcus Johnstone, a leading criminal defence lawyer, told The Standard: “Having worked with prisoners convicted of very serious offences for over 20 years, I have seen the ways prisons work and just how vulnerable these inmates are to attacks from fellow offenders… Consistently, almost every sex offender inmate I have met lives in fear for their lives—and a great many violent offenders I have spoken to would jump at the opportunity to attack a man like Huntley. This enhances their 'reputation' in the prison estate.”
Despite being kept under close observation and often segregated from the general prison population, Huntley’s notoriety has made him a perennial target. The latest attack has again raised questions about the safety of high-profile inmates in British prisons, the adequacy of staff training, and the volatile environment in facilities such as HMP Frankland. Johnstone added, “Despite the amount of supervision and isolation these high-profile prisoners live under, there is unfortunately very little that can be done to keep them completely safe. This is not helped by the decline in quality in the national prison staff population, which has seen many skilled and experienced wardens now replaced by cheaper and less experienced personnel.”
As of the evening of February 27, 2026, Huntley remains in a serious condition, under armed guard in hospital. The police investigation continues, with detectives liaising closely with prison staff. For now, the question of whether Huntley will survive this latest attempt on his life remains unanswered—a grim testament to the enduring infamy of the Soham case and the relentless dangers faced by the most reviled prisoners in the British penal system.