Ian Huntley died from prison attack head injury

Ian Huntley died from prison attack head injury

During a brief hearing in Crook, County Durham, it was revealed that Ian Huntley, the man convicted of murdering two girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in 2002, died from a head injury sustained during a prison attack. The 52-year-old was assaulted with a metal bar by another inmate at HMP Frankland in Durham on 26 February, leading to his death nine days later at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Background of the 2002 Murders

The two schoolgirls vanished after leaving a family barbecue in Soham in August 2002. It is believed they were heading to purchase sweets when Huntley, then aged 28, lured them to his home and killed them. Their disappearance captured national attention, prompting police to launch appeals for their safe return. The bodies were discovered in a ditch two weeks following their disappearance.

Coroner’s Findings

County Durham and Darlington’s senior coroner, Jeremy Chipperfield, initiated an inquest into Huntley’s death and stated that the further investigation would be paused until criminal proceedings were underway. A post-mortem conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Jennifer Bolton two days after the attack confirmed the cause of death as a ‘blunt head injury’, according to the coroner.

Legal Proceedings

Anthony Russell, aged 43, has been charged with murdering Huntley and is set to appear in Newcastle Crown Court on 24 April. The inquest was told that Huntley had been ‘struck over the head multiple times by another prisoner using a metal bar’, as documented in the case files.

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