Man charged with murder after Soham killer Ian Huntley dies in prison attack

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: "A man has been charged with murder following an incident at HMP Frankland in Durham.

"Emergency services were called to reports of an assault in the workshop on the morning of Thursday, February 26.

"Ian Huntley, 52, was taken to hospital with serious injuries but died on the morning of Saturday, March 7.

"Anthony Russell, 43, of HMP Frankland, has been charged with murder and will appear via video link at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, March 11."

Huntley succumbed to his injuries nine days after allegedly being struck with a metal pole by another prisoner in a workshop on his prison wing.

He was serving a minimum 40-year life term for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both aged 10, in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002.

Huntley's daughter, Samantha Bryan, has expressed the view that his remains should be "flushed down the toilet".

The Ministry of Justice acknowledged the killing of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman "remains one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation's history" and extended thoughts to their families.

Justice Secretary David Lammy is being lobbied to block public funds being used for the funeral of Huntley, given the prison may be obligated to contribute as much as £3,000 towards the killer's burial costs.

Prison regulations stipulate that public money should cover only essential expenses such as basic coffins and undertakers' fees.

Despite this, Ian Acheson, who previously served as a prison governor and is now a penal affairs expert, has urged Mr Lammy to block any such endorsement of Huntley.

"This will need to be handled very carefully because it'll be political dynamite if there's anything other than him being cremated and distributed into a field somewhere," he added.

The former governor warned that certain individuals might be drawn to Huntley's "sadistic, putrid notoriety" and stressed the importance of preventing anyone from exploiting his death.

Speaking on today's arrest, Christopher Atkinson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

“We have worked closely with Durham Constabulary as they carried out their investigation".

The CPS said it was “vital” there was no “reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings”.