Huntley, 53, died after an attack at HMP Frankland. Multiple reports indicate he was bludgeoned with a metal bar until his skull 'caved in' and had his life support switched off following the assault. Anthony Russell, 43, has been charged with his murder and is next due in court on 3 June.
Watkins, the former Lostprophets singer serving a 29-year sentence for offences including the attempted rape of a baby, died after an assault at HMP Wakefield. He was stabbed in the neck. Two inmates have been charged with his murder, though one man has pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial, leaving the exact number of suspects unclear.
Growing prison violence is a 'national scandal' requiring urgent action.
Prison violence has been rising sharply. Ministry of Justice figures show 3,544 serious assaults in the 12 months to September 2025, up 8% from the year before. Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults are at their highest level since 2020, and nearly a third now involve weapons, the highest rate since records began in 2000.
Homicides have also climbed: seven prisoners were murdered in the year ending December 2025, up from six the previous year, and a record nine in the year to March 2026. The figures for overlapping periods are difficult to reconcile, but the trend is unmistakably upward. Overcrowding, staff shortages, and a growing population of inmates with little to lose are driving the violence.
The violence is due to lack of experienced staff, overcrowding, and a rise in 'lifers' with a 'nothing-to-lose' mentality.
Officer numbers fell by nearly 1,000 at the end of last year compared with the year before. According to The Guardian, Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors' Association, said high-security prisons are 'highly emotional places' and tensions have been exacerbated by overcrowding and inexperienced staff. He noted that prisoners serving lengthy sentences or whole-life tariffs have 'no fear' of additional prison time and can earn status by attacking famous child murderers and paedophiles.
According to the Daily Mail, Vanessa Frake, former head of security at Wormwood Scrubs, blamed the violence on lack of experienced staff, overcrowding, and a rise in 'lifers' with a 'nothing-to-lose' mentality. Insiders describe a brutal world where child sex offenders are prime targets. According to BBC News, one prisoner said killing in prison is not difficult, and inmates are innovative and have time to think about how to kill and damage.
The figures are a damning indictment of David Lammy's failure.
Makeshift weapons are used to carry out violent acts to win approval from gang leaders. Another inmate told the BBC that prison killings can be part of hierarchies and settling scores, with some directed to commit violence for status or drugs, and that anyone who did things to children has a target on their back. Ricky Killeen, a former inmate, told the Daily Mirror that prison murders are usually committed by inmates doing life without parole who have nothing to lose and want fame.
He named Wayne Couzens and Mark Bridger as likely future targets, noting Bridger has been attacked on a couple of occasions but not very seriously. Conditions in specific prisons underline the crisis. A 25-year-old prison officer was stabbed at Long Lartin last May using a knife believed to have been flown in by drone.
Prisoners serving lengthy sentences or whole-life tariffs in high-security institutions have 'no fear' of additional prison time and can earn status by attacking famous child murderers and paedophiles.
Six prisons have received urgent notifications since Labour took power: HMP Rochester, HMP Manchester, HMP Winchester, HMP Swaleside, HMP Pentonville, and HMP Woodhill. At HMP Woodhill, the rate of prisoner-on-prisoner violence increased by 23% and against staff by 45% since the last inspection in 2023. Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor described men languishing in cells, criminal behaviour unchecked, drugs rife, and frightening levels of violence.
HMPs Frankland and Wakefield are among eight prisons in the long-term high-security estate whose role is now being reviewed. Weeks after Watkins' death, Kyle Bevan was killed in an alleged attack at HMP Wakefield, though details remain unclear. The political response has been sharply divided.
High-security prisons are 'highly emotional places' and tensions have been exacerbated by overcrowding and inexperienced staff.
59 per year since Labour entered government in July 2024. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy called the figures a damning indictment of David Lammy's failure. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the government inherited a prison system in crisis and is tackling problems by building 14,000 more prison places by 2031.
Civil servants are reviewing the management of high-profile prisoners in the high-security estate and the management of high-risk prisoners. Experts and insiders are calling for urgent reform. According to the Daily Mirror, prison doctor Dr Shahed Yousaf said violent inmate-on-inmate crime will continue if staffing levels remain as they are, and that prison officers deserve more recognition and appreciation.
He described prison as a hidden world and believes raising public awareness would put prison reform higher on the political agenda. Vanessa Frake, according to the Daily Mail, called the growing violence a 'national scandal' requiring urgent action. Ricky Killeen believes more grisly deaths may occur behind bars.
Wayne Couzens, the former police officer who murdered Sarah Everard, is reportedly 'petrified' and fears he will be the next target after the Huntley attack, according to a prison insider speaking to The Sun. Killeen said Couzens is on the same vulnerable person wing as Huntley was before the attack, and that he used to 'swagger' about the wing and try to tell officers what to do before the murder. The specific measures being taken to protect him have not been disclosed.