Soham killer Ian Huntley is fighting for his life having been attacked in prison, with police saying they have identified a suspect.
The former caretaker is serving a life sentence for the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells in the Cambridgeshire market town in August 2002.
The 52-year-old was found in a pool of blood in his cell in HMP Frankland, in County Durham, before being taken to hospital, according to The Sun.
The newspaper said he was knocked unconscious with a metal pole and quoted a source saying his condition was “touch-and-go”.
Durham Constabulary said a suspect, a male prisoner in his 40s, had been identified following the attack, which took place in a prison workshop.
“He has not been arrested at this stage but remains in detention within the prison,” added a spokesman.
The 10-year-olds went missing after leaving a family barbecue to buy sweets. They never returned home, and were found dead nearly two weeks later.
Ian Huntley was jailed for life following the murders in 2002. Credit: PA
School caretaker Huntley – who was originally from Grimsby – lured both schoolgirls into his home and murdered them, before dumping their bodies in a ditch some 12 miles away.
He later returned and cut their clothes off to burn them, his murder trial subsequently heard.
The charred remains of the girls’ red Manchester United shirts and other clothing were later found in a bin by police.
Suspicions were raised after Huntley – the caretaker at nearby Soham Village College – gave detailed interviews to the press about the girls, and he appeared to take an unusual interest in the case.
Huntley denied their murder but was convicted in 2003 after an Old Bailey trial.
He claimed the friends went inside his house because Holly had a nosebleed. He said Holly drowned in the bath and that he killed Jessica as he tried to silence her screams, but jurors concluded he was lying.
The bodies of Jessica Chapman, left, and Holly Wells were found 13 days after they went missing. Credit: Family photo
The judge, Mr Justice Moses, paid tribute to the girls as he told Huntley: “They were happy, intelligent and loyal.
“They were much loved by their families and all who knew them.
“You murdered them both. You are the one person who knows how you murdered them, you are the one person who knows why.
“You destroyed the evidence, which showed no mercy and no regret.
His then-girlfriend Maxine Carr was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in 2003 after being found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice by giving him a false alibi.
She served 21 months and is now living under a new identity.
Huntley has been the subject of previous attacks in the same prison, when a fellow prisoner slit his throat in 2010.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice confirmed that a prisoner “was receiving treatment after an incident” at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning, adding: “It would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate.”
A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said that a man had “suffered serious injuries” in an assault and was then taken to hospital for treatment for head injuries.
“Police forensic teams have examined the scene of the attack throughout the day to gather evidence,” they added.
“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.”
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said crews had been called at 9.23am, adding: “One patient was transported to hospital by road.”
In the years after the murders, it was discovered Huntley had been able to get a job working with children at the college despite having been the subject of a series of complaints of rape and other sexual offences made to police.
In 2004 the Bichard Inquiry was launched, investigating the failings in police vetting and information which ultimately led to Huntley being appointed.
The report highlighted the failures of Humberside Police, which had been told of Huntley’s previous accusations, in how they handled intelligence and data protection.
It led to the creation of a Police National Database, which was launched in 2011 to combine intelligences from 43 forces in England and Wales, and data from 150 computer systems.
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