Lynda Richards reportedly made a secret visit to see her son Ian Huntley in a North East hospital
07:30, 28 Feb 2026Updated 07:34, 28 Feb 2026
(Image: PA)
Ian Huntley’s mother reportedly made a discreet visit to her son in hospital and confided in friends “part of me hopes he passes away” following the child killer being attacked in prison.
The Soham double murder perpetrator remains in a critical condition after a fellow prisoner struck him repeatedly around the head with a metal bar during a workshop at HMP Frankland. The notorious killer, who murdered 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was rushed to hospital with serious brain injuries following the Thursday morning assault and was reportedly given merely a 5% chance of survival.
Mum Lynda Richards, 71, travelled 175 miles from her residence in Lincolnshire to be with her killer son, and a source alleged the mother subsequently told acquaintances she “just wants to be free of it”.
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The caretaker is serving a life sentence after he murdered the two schoolgirls, after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4 2002, reports the Mirror.
A source, according to The Sun, claimed Richards and a companion were accompanied to the hospital wing by a Prison Service staff member – whilst her son is being monitored by armed police. They added that the mother “couldn’t recognise her own son” when she encountered him following the vicious attack.
Anthony Russell, who has been identified a suspect(Image: SWNS)
The source said: “He’s been attacked on so many occasions and she now thinks it might be better if he didn’t pull through. It’s an extraordinarily difficult thing for her to come to terms with.
“Part of her just hopes he passes away this time. But he’s still her son, regardless of what happened, and they have remained very close.”
The same source also claimed Richards had spoken to her son just two days before he was beaten, adding that she “can’t be at peace until it’s all over – and it won’t be over until he’s gone”.
Ian Huntley (Image: Toby Melville/PA Wire)
Durham Constabulary issued an update this morning on Huntley’s condition, stating: “There has been no change in the 52-year-old man’s condition overnight – he remains in hospital in a serious condition.”
Triple killer Anthony Russell was named as the prime suspect in the prison assault, though neither police nor prison authorities have confirmed his identity. The suspect is reported to have shouted “I’ve killed him” as he was led away by prison staff.
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