Soham killer Ian Huntley died from a head injury following prison attack, inquest hears
Soham killer Ian Huntley died in hospital from head injuries following the attack at HMP Frankland days earlier, an inquest into his death heard.
The 52-year-old died at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle on March 7 after he was allegedly attacked with a metal bar in a workshop at the maximum security prison in Durham on February 26.
Senior coroner Jeremy Chipperfield hears the opening of the inquest, listed under the name Ian Kevin Huntley, in Crook, County Durham, on Tuesday.
The opening of the investigation took less than five minutes, PA reported.
Coroner Bradley King read the following statement: “This 52-year-old male was born in Grimsby on January 31, 1974.
“His last employment status and occupation have been recorded as detainee.
“He was based at HMP Frankland.
“He died in the Royal Victoria Infirmary on 7 March 2026.
“I understand that Mr Huntley was struck multiple times in the head by another prisoner with an object described as a metal bar.”
He added: “The attack left Mr Huntley with serious head injuries.”
Mr King said Home Office Pathologist Dr Jennifer Bolton performed a post-mortem on March 9 and gave the cause of death as “blunt head trauma”.
Huntley’s body was officially identified the day he died.
Anthony Russell, 43, accused of Huntley’s murder, will appear at Newcastle Crown Court on April 24 for a pre-trial preparation hearing.
Huntley was serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
The former schoolkeeper murdered his best friends as 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. Despite hundreds of police searches, they could not be found for 13 days.
He denied killing the girls but was convicted after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2003. He was sentenced to life in prison with a recommended minimum sentence of 40 years.
At the time, Huntley was living with Maxine Carr, a teacher’s assistant at Holly and Jessica’s elementary school. Carr gave Huntley a false alibi and was sentenced to 21 months in prison for perverting the course of justice. He now lives with a new identity.
Last month, it was reported that there would be no funeral for Huntley and that his family would scatter his ashes secretly. The family also refused a state-funded service out of respect for the victims’ families.
Huntley’s daughter, Samantha Bryan, said after learning of his death: “I was relieved. I didn’t cry. I smiled. I was overjoyed, to be honest.” He suggested that his ashes be flushed down the toilet.
