Ian Huntley, who is currently in hospital in a serious condition following an attack at HMP Frankland, has been 'declared blind' and given a low chance of survival, according to a source.
Huntley, the Soham killer who murdered 10-year-old children Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, was left 'fighting for his life' after he was attacked in prison, with another inmate suspected of carrying out the assault.
He is said to have been repeatedly hit with a spiked metal pole in a prison workshop, with the alleged attacker yelling: “I’ve done it, I’ve done it. I’ve killed him, I’ve killed him.”
Police have identified a suspect, but have not confirmed any arrests.
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The 52-year-old was taken to hospital, where The Sun now reports that he is 'highly unlikely' to survive and has been declared blind after he was hit in the eyes and suffered brain trauma.
The paper claims a source has told them the child murderer's condition has not significantly improved since he was taken to hospital and given a slim chance of survival.
Huntley was allegedly left in a pool of his own blood in HMP Frankland.
A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said yesterday (5 March): "There has been no change in the 52-year-old man’s condition overnight – he remains in hospital in a serious condition."
Huntley is responsible for the murder of Wells and Chapman, who went missing from Soham, Cambridgeshire in August 2002, before their bodies were later found in a ditch in Lakenheath, Suffolk, two weeks later.
The former caretaker at the local secondary school was identified as a suspect after his interviews with the press about the disappearance raised concerns.
Former Press Association reporter Brian Farmer recently recalled interviewing Huntley after police confirmed he was one of the last people to see the girls. It also transpired that Huntley's girlfriend at the time, Maxine Carr, had worked as a teaching assistant in their class.
Farmer told the BBC: "I asked Carr if the girls were taught about stranger-danger at school, and how they might have reacted, for example, if they had been approached by a man in a car.
"To my astonishment, Huntley leapt in. He said he thought Holly would probably get in the car and be quiet, but Jessica wouldn't. Jessica would put up a real fight and a real struggle.
"A parent might have a good idea how a child would react. A teacher, or class assistant, might be able to speculate. But Huntley was a caretaker at a school Holly and Jessica didn't attend. How could he know?"
Huntley also said in a BBC Look East interview before his horrifying connection to the crime was revealed: "I just wish I'd done something more. To think that I am the last friendly face that these two girls have spoken to."
Huntley's daughter Samantha Bryan, 27, said she was 'glad' to hear her father had been attacked and left in a serious condition, telling The Sun her mother had called her to let her know about the attack.
She said: "I started crying because I thought he was dead - it was an overwhelming sense of relief, being his daughter has been a heavy burden.
"It felt like I could breathe again. I felt if he died, that burden died with him. There’s a special place in hell waiting for him."
Samantha's mother Katie, 45, said she thought her former partner 'got what he deserves'.
The LADbible Group have contacted Durham Constabulary for comment.
Joe Harker