Soham killer Ian Huntley is fighting for his life having been attacked in prison, with police saying they have identified a suspect.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The newspaper said he was knocked unconscious with a metal pole and quoted a source saying his condition was \u201ctouch-and-go\u201d.<\/p>\n
Durham Constabulary said a suspect, a male prisoner in his 40s, had been identified following the attack, which took place in a prison workshop.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has not been arrested at this stage but remains in detention within the prison,\u201d added a spokesman.<\/p>\n
Huntley is being treated at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary and is under armed guard.<\/p>\n
Ian Huntley was jailed for life following the murders in 2002. Credit: PA<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He later returned and cut their clothes off to burn them, his murder trial subsequently heard.<\/p>\n
The charred remains of the girls’ red Manchester United shirts and other clothing were later found in a bin by police.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Huntley denied their murder but was convicted in 2003 after an Old Bailey trial.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The bodies of Jessica Chapman, left, and Holly Wells were found 13 days after they went missing. Credit: Family photo<\/p>\n
The judge, Mr Justice Moses, paid tribute to the girls as he told Huntley: \u201cThey were happy, intelligent and loyal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were much loved by their families and all who knew them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou murdered them both. You are the one person who knows how you murdered them, you are the one person who knows why.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou destroyed the evidence, which showed no mercy and no regret.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She served 21 months and is now living under a new identity. <\/p>\n