Ian Huntley to be sent to £300,000-a-year secure hospital if he survives | UK | News
Soham killer Ian Huntley faces transfer to a £300,000-a-year taxpayer-funded secure hospital if he survives his prison attack, according to reports.
The cost would be significantly higher than the £85,000 required to detain the double murderer at HMP Frankland in County Durham along with other murderers and sex offenders. However, it is believed that Huntley will not be able to return there if he is rescued because he would face serious danger from his fellow prisoners. mirror reports.
Only three secure hospitals were allowed to house Category A prisoners: Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, Rampton in Nottinghamshire and Ashworth on Merseyside. Sources suggest former schoolkeeper Huntley will move to Ashworth, which would represent a dramatic change from the harsh conditions of Frankland’s so-called Monster Mansion.
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An insider explained: “It remains to be seen whether he’ll survive the next few weeks. But if he does, there’s no way he’ll be able to return to Frankland. Without 24-hour care, he won’t be able to care for himself, plus he’ll never be safe from the other inmates.”
But last night we revealed Huntley had been taken off life support and had only spent a few hours in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary. This left Huntley “literally dead”, sources told The Sun.
But if he overcomes the difficulties, Huntley, 52, will need treatment at one of three secure hospitals that can house a notorious prisoner of his own. It is a cruel irony that Huntley received far more compassion than he did for ten-year-old Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, whom he murdered before dumping their bodies in a pit in 2002.
The man will receive the best care available from a specialist team of leading NHS nurses and neurological specialists in these critical coming weeks and – if he survives – for the rest of his life.
At Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, at least three guards were on duty at his bedside at all hours of the day. A high-profile Category A prisoner like Huntley requires three prison officers and a prison administrator to keep a constant watch over his hospital bed; however, with Huntley in a coma, it is now likely that only the guards remain.
This presence serves to ensure one’s own safety rather than preventing escape. Staff are said to earn £24 per hour for overtime shifts, which many prison officers consider the “holy grail”.
