Anthony Russell, a serving prisoner, will stand trial in November for the alleged murder of Ian Huntley, the notorious child killer. Huntley died after an attack at HMP Frankland.
A trial date has been set for Anthony Russell , a serving prisoner accused of murdering the notorious child killer Ian Huntley . Russell, 44, allegedly attacked Huntley at the high-security HMP Frankland in County Durham on February 23, 2024.
Huntley was rushed to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary but never regained consciousness, dying nine days later on March 7. During a brief hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, conducted via video-link from prison, Russell was informed that his trial would commence on November 23 at the same venue. He has not yet entered a plea to the single count of murder. The court also heard that an MRI scan and psychiatric reports will be prepared for the defendant.
Russell, who appeared with a shaved head and a grey t-shirt, rested his heavily-tattooed forearms on the table during proceedings. He spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth, then asked the judge, Mr. Justice Hilliard, to 'remind me of those court dates.
' A mention hearing is scheduled for July 3 at Newcastle Crown Court. Huntley, a former school caretaker, was serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of 10-year-old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire. He lured the girls into his home after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets, killed them, and disposed of their bodies in a ditch 10 miles away.
Despite a massive search involving hundreds of police officers, the bodies were not found for 13 days. During his 2003 trial at the Old Bailey, Huntley denied murder, claiming that Holly drowned in the bath while he was helping her with a nosebleed and that he accidentally smothered Jessica to prevent her from screaming. The jury rejected his account, convicting him of murder and sentencing him to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 40 years.
His girlfriend, Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant at the girls' school, provided a false alibi and was jailed for 21 months for perverting the course of justice; she now lives under a new identity. The fatal attack on Huntley was at least the third time he had been targeted in prison. In 2010, an inmate slashed his throat with a makeshift weapon, and in 2005, another prisoner threw boiling water over him, causing severe burns.
Huntley was known to be a high-risk prisoner and had been held in segregation for his own safety. However, the attack in February 2024 proved fatal. The incident has raised questions about security at HMP Frankland, which houses some of the UK's most dangerous criminals. The prison has declined to comment on the specifics of the attack pending the legal proceedings.
During the hearing, Mr. Justice Hilliard addressed Russell directly, stating, 'I say this to everyone when I get the opportunity to speak to them for the first time: the rule is if you should decide not to come for your trial or any part of it, we will carry on without you. I'm sure you will be there if I have said it to you directly we know it has been said.
' The judge's firm words underscored the seriousness of the proceedings. Russell showed no visible emotion as the dates were read out. The case has attracted significant media attention due to Huntley's infamy and the brutal nature of his crimes. The trial is expected to last several weeks, with the prosecution likely to present evidence from prison staff, medical experts, and other inmates who may have witnessed the altercation.
Russell is being held in a separate wing of the prison pending trial. His defense team is expected to argue issues related to his mental state, as indicated by the ordered psychiatric reports. The outcome of the trial will hinge on whether the jury believes Russell intended to kill Huntley or if the attack constituted a lesser offense.
For now, the families of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman wait for justice to be served once more, as the man who took their daughters' lives met a violent end behind bars
Ian Huntley Anthony Russell Murder Trial Soham Murders HMP Frankland
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