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  "path": "/2026/02/28/soham-killer-ian-huntleys-mum-couldnt-even-recognise-him-prison-attack-27157714/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-28T16:18:18.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "UK",
    "Crime News",
    "Ian Huntley",
    "suffered massive brain injuries in Thursday’s attack",
    "killed 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman",
    "following the ambush by another inmate",
    "The Sun",
    "News Updates",
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    "**check our news page**",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source"
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  "textContent": "Ian Huntley, 52, who killed 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in a case that horrified the country in 2002, remains seriously ill (Picture: PA)\n\n**Soham murderer Ian Huntley’s mum has paid a secret visit to his bedside as he continues to cling to life in hospital after being bludgeoned with a metal bar in prison.**\n\nLynda Richards, 71, is said to have told friends she could not even recognise her son after he suffered massive brain injuries in Thursday’s attack at HMP Frankland.\n\nHuntley, 52, who killed 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in a case that horrified the country in 2002, remains seriously ill following the ambush by another inmate.\n\nMs Richards reportedly made the cross-country trip to his bedside after surgeons operated on him.\n\nA source told The Sun: ‘Lynda couldn’t recognise her own son when she saw him in the hospital, his injuries are that extensive.’\n\n##  Sign up for all of the latest stories\n\nStart your day informed with Metro's **News Updates** newsletter or get **Breaking News **alerts the moment it happens.\n\nHuntley suffered a broken jaw, skull fractures and brain injuries in the attack, according to the paper.\n\nIan Huntley reportedly suffered a broken jaw, skull fractures and injuries to his brain in the attack (Picture: Geoff Robinson/Shutterstock)\n\nAnthony Russell has been widely named as the prime suspect in the ambush (Picture: PA)\n\nTriple killer Anthony Russell, 43, has been widely named as the prime suspect, with reports saying launched the attack following an argument in a workshop.\n\nInmates are said to have cheered as Russell was led away in handcuffs shouting: ‘I’ve done it, I’ve done it. I’ve killed him, I’ve killed him.’\n\nPolice declined to identify the suspect but said on Thursday that a man in his mid-40s had been detained in the prison. He has not yet been arrested.\n\nRussell was sentenced to a whole life tariff in 2021 for the murders of Julie Williams, 58, and her son David Williams, 32, at separate flats in Coventry, and pregnant 31-year-old Nicole McGregor, who was found in woodland near Leamington Spa three days later.\n\nRussell also raped Ms McGregor.\n\nThursday’s assault was the latest attempt on Huntley’s life and he was thought to have been kept under close observation to prevent similar attacks.\n\nBest friends Holly Wells (left) and Jessica Chapman pictured together shortly before they disappeared (Picture: PA)\n\nIn 2010, robber Damien Fowkes slashed him with a home-made weapon, causing a ‘severe, gaping cut to the left side of his neck’ with a 7in (18cm) wound which required 21 stitches.\n\nFowkes asked a prison officer: ‘Is he dead? I hope so.’\n\nHe described Huntley as a ‘notorious child killer, both inside prison and in society in general’.\n\nHuntley is serving a life sentence with a recommendation that he serves at least 40 years for the Soham murders.\n\n******Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.******\n\n**For more stories like this,****check our news page**.\n\nComment now Comments  Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source ",
  "title": "Soham killer Ian Huntley’s mum ‘couldn’t even recognise him’ after prison attack"
}