Ian Huntley was attacked by a fellow inmate at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning. The attacker was Anthony Russell, a triple murderer and rapist serving a whole life sentence, according to multiple reports. Huntley was attacked with a metal weapon, sustaining severe head injuries including skull fractures and brain damage.
He was found lying in a pool of his own blood after the assault, multiple sources indicate. Huntley was rushed to hospital and placed in a medically induced coma on life support. 23am on Thursday 26 February 2026 to reports of an incident at HM Prison Frankland, a spokesperson confirmed.
Two ambulance crews were dispatched, and support was requested from the Great North air ambulance service, with one patient transported to hospital by road, according to the ambulance service. Police were alerted to an assault at HMP Frankland, and a male prisoner suffered serious injuries and was transported to hospital, a spokesperson for Durham constabulary said. Huntley's life support was switched off after consultations with his mother, and he died shortly after.
A police investigation is underway into the circumstances of the incident, a spokesperson for Durham constabulary stated. Police have said a male prisoner in his 40s, suspected of carrying out the attack, is being held 'in detention within the prison'. A Prison Service spokesperson said a prisoner is receiving treatment after an incident at HMP Frankland and it would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate.
HMP Frankland is known as 'Monster Mansion' and houses many dangerous offenders. Frankland holds around 800 prisoners, including some of the most dangerous offenders in the country, with special units for the most violent inmates, according to former prison governor Ian Acheson. HMP Frankland has seen a series of serious violent incidents in recent years, including an attack in April 2025 where a prisoner serving a sentence for terrorism offences allegedly attacked three prison officers with boiling liquid and an improvised weapon, former BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw reported.
In May 2024 a prisoner fractured another prisoner's skull with a claw hammer, later pleading guilty to attempted murder, Shaw added. Five prisoners died in eight days in December 2025, with investigations underway, according to Shaw. In the last few years, there have been several attacks on uniformed officers by high-risk prisoners, including a convicted terrorist facing multiple attempted murder charges for assaulting staff using an improvised weapon last year, Acheson noted.
I'm glad it happened. There is a special place in hell waiting for him.
In 2024, a police officer visiting the establishment was critically injured when he was stabbed by a prisoner, Acheson said. There were seven homicides in prisons in England and Wales in 2025, up from six in 2024, according to Safety in Custody Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice in January. The figures showed a sharp rise from the period of 2019 to 2013, when there were between one and three homicides per year, research indicates.
Huntley infuriated inmates by wearing a red shirt with the number 10, thought to reference his 10-year-old victims, multiple reports indicate. Huntley and Anthony Russell had been rowing or clashing prior to the attack, according to sources. Anthony Russell shouted 'I've done it' or similar after the attack, multiple reports state.
Inmates cheered upon hearing news of Huntley's attack or death, sources said. Huntley was serving two life sentences with a minimum 40 year tariff, handed down in 2003 for the murders of 10-year-old girls, research shows. Huntley's daughter, Samantha Bryan, expressed relief and gladness about the attack, according to multiple reports.
Samantha Bryan only discovered Huntley was her father at age 14 during a school project, sources indicate. Samantha Bryan wrote to Huntley in prison asking to meet, but he repeatedly denied her requests, multiple reports state. Huntley's mother, Lynda Richards, visited him in hospital and agreed to turn off life support, saying it was for the best, multiple sources report.
Huntley's mother Katie Bryan alleged he raped and abused her during their underage relationship, which Huntley denied in a letter, according to Katie Bryan. Maxine Carr, Huntley's former fiancée, was given a new identity and lifelong anonymity order after serving time for perverting the course of justice. The cost to protect Maxine Carr has risen above £2 million, with taxpayers covering expenses including cosmetic surgery, multiple reports indicate.
More than a dozen women have been abused or attacked after being mistaken for Maxine Carr, according to sources. If Huntley survived, he was set to be moved to Ashworth Secure Hospital in Liverpool for treatment, multiple reports suggest. The assault raises serious questions about security failures and weapon access at HMP Frankland.
The police investigation's progress and potential charges against Anthony Russell are still developing. Huntley's death may impact ongoing prison safety reforms and public perception. The broader context of the attack, including exact motives beyond reported prior clashes, remains unclear.