Ian Huntley was reportedly so close to death following an assault by a fellow inmate that he had to be transported to hospital by road rather than air, reports The Mirror.
A paramedic and doctor were flown to Durham’s Frankland Prison to stabilise him at the scene. Due to the severity of his injuries from an attack with a metal pole in a prison workshop, allegedly carried out by a triple murderer, he was placed in an induced coma, reports The Mirror.
An ambulance then transported him 19 miles to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, allowing medical staff to monitor and treat him en route if his condition deteriorated. The air ambulance departed from the prison and landed at the hospital to collect the medics once Huntley arrived following the 30-minute journey.
Armed police provided a front and rear escort for the vehicle, and two prison guards along with an armed officer accompanied him inside the ambulance throughout the high-security operation, reports The Mirror.
A source said: “He was placed in an induced coma because he was so close to death. The team from the helicopter travelled with him but he could not be evacuated by air in case of any complications. He was transported by road because he was in a coma; this helps to keep him stable. The helicopter then travels to the hospital to collect the medics. Two armed officers are guarding Huntley around the clock at the hospital.”
Another source added: “Medical staff must be professional no matter who they are dealing with. With a high-profile prisoner like Huntley, the patient’s name is not released before arrival at the jail. Once the medical staff get there, they may recognise the patient but must put that to the back of their minds,” reports The Mirror.
Durham Police confirmed: “The 52-year-old man remains in hospital in a serious condition. There have been no changes overnight.”
This was Huntley’s third assault in 24 years behind bars. Prior to the attack, he had grown increasingly paranoid that fellow inmates were poisoning him and was found in a pool of blood shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday, reports The Mirror.
Huntley, who worked as a cleaner on A wing at Frankland, had stopped eating prison food due to fears that other prisoners were “out to get him,” instead buying fast food and confectionery from the prison shop, which caused his weight to rise.
He is serving a life sentence for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who disappeared after leaving a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4, 2002. Their bodies were found in a ditch two weeks later. Huntley became a suspect after giving media interviews about the police investigation, reports The Mirror.
Huntley was convicted in December 2003 at the Old Bailey, while his girlfriend Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant at the girls’ primary school, was jailed the same year for conspiring to pervert the course of justice. She was released in May 2004 and given a new identity.
After his arrest, it was revealed Huntley had been able to work with children despite facing prior allegations of rape and sexual assault. Humberside Police had previously received serious complaints against him, leading to an inquiry and tighter criminal checks on anyone working with children, reports The Mirror.
Huntley has a history of attacks in prison. He was scalded with boiling water at HMP Wakefield in 2005, and after his transfer to Frankland, he was slashed across the neck by robber Damien Fowkes in 2010. The wound was seven inches (18 cm) long and required 21 stitches, reports The Mirror.
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