Ian Huntley died from prison attack head injury

The former school caretaker, Ian Huntley, who was convicted for the 2002 murders of 10-year-old friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, passed away following a head injury sustained during a violent incident in Durham’s HMP Frankland. The attack occurred on 26 February, and he succumbed to his wounds nine days later at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

During the inquest into Huntley’s death, County Durham and Darlington senior coroner Jeremy Chipperfield stated that the ongoing investigation would be paused pending criminal proceedings.

Anthony Russell, a 43-year-old prisoner, has been charged with his murder and is scheduled to appear before Newcastle Crown Court on 24 April. According to documents presented to the coroner, the brief hearing in Crook, County Durham, revealed that Huntley was “struck over the head multiple times by another prisoner with an object described as a metal bar.”

The attack resulted in “significant head injuries,” which led to Huntley’s death on 7 March at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, the inquest confirmed.

Dr Jennifer Bolton, the forensic pathologist, conducted a post-mortem examination two days after the incident and concluded the cause of death was “blunt head injury.”

Two schoolgirls vanished after leaving a family barbecue in Soham in August 2002. It is thought they were heading to buy sweets when Huntley, then 28, lured them to his home and killed them. Their disappearance triggered national media attention and police calls for information.

More than two weeks after their disappearance, their bodies were discovered in a ditch, marking a tragic conclusion to the case that had gripped the country. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram for updates.