Warning: This story contains violent and disturbing content which some readers may find distressing.
It was reported yesterday (26 February) that Ian Huntley had been attacked at HMP Frankland, County Durham.
The Soham murderer was said to be ‘fighting for his life’ as sources said he had been assaulted with a metal pole and left in a pool of blood.
And an update from Durham Constabulary later in the day said the prisoner remained in a ‘serious condition’ and had been treated for ‘head injuries’ in hospital.
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While authorities did not confirm the infamous British child killer was the prisoner attacked, reports have flooded out from the prison with sources revealing more gruesome details about the attack.
This includes the ‘chilling comment’ the attacker made that they’d ‘done it’ as other inmates cheered him on. As of yesterday afternoon, they had not been arrested over the incident but remained ‘in detention within the prison’.
As per prison sources, the Daily Mail reports that after bludgeoning Huntley with a spiked metal pole, the man yelled: “I’ve done it, I’ve done it. I’ve killed him, I’ve killed him.”
He was then cheered on by the other inmates as he was led away in handcuffs.
A source explained the attack: “Huntley was working in waste management with other prisoners from Wing A, the segregated wing for prisoners who can't be in the normal jail population for their own protection.
“The other prisoner got a metal bar from the waste metal crates and smashed Huntley three times in the head with it. It was a very, very serious injury, having been struck on the skull like that.”
One source told The Sun that Huntley’s head was ‘basically split in two’ after being hit and that it was ‘total chaos’.
“There is not much coming back from that,” they added. “He was bashed to bits and was not breathing,” as they said staff tried to stem the flow of blood as ambulances were called.
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We received a call at 9.23am on Thursday 26 February 2026 to reports of an incident at HM Prison Frankland in County Durham.
"We dispatched two ambulance crews to the scene and requested support from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). One patient was transported to hospital by road."
Huntley is serving a life sentence behind bars with a minimum term of 40 years for murdering 10 year old girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002.
The children went missing after leaving a family barbecue to buy sweets in in Soham, Cambridgeshire, before their bodies were found in a ditch in Lakenheath, Suffolk, two weeks later.
A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said on Thursday afternoon: "The 52-year-old prisoner who was injured during this morning’s assault in the workshop at HMP Frankland remains in a serious condition in hospital following treatment for head injuries.
"Police forensic teams have examined the scene of the attack throughout the day to gather evidence.
"A suspect, a male prisoner in his mid-40s, has been identified by officers investigating the incident.
"He has not been arrested at this stage but remains in detention within the prison."
Jess Battison