Inmates at the prison where Ian Huntley was attacked spend their whole time inside in fear for their lives, a lawyer has claimed.
Child killer Huntley was left fighting for his life after being battered at HMP Frankland in Durham on Thursday morning. He was airlifted to hospital after suffering at least his fourth attack from a fellow lag while behind bars.
And experienced criminal defence lawyer Marcus Johnstone said he was “not remotely surprised” by the news that Huntley had been badly beaten at the high security prison, which has been dubbed Monster Mansion due to the notorious inmates it houses.
Mr Johnstone, MD of PCD Solicitors, said: “HMP Frankland is a high security prison. It holds high-profile child murderers, gang leaders, drug dealers and serious sex offenders.
“It’s an increasingly volatile environment. Consistently, almost every sex offender inmate I have met lives in fear for their lives and a great many violent offenders I have spoken to would jump at the opportunity to attack a man like Huntley.”
Cops said a prisoner was assaulted on Thursday morning at the prison before being rushed to hospital. He was reported to have been knocked unconscious with a metal pole and his condition was said to be “touch and go”.
Mr Johnstone said Huntley, who has twice survived an attempted throat-slashing inside, said the killer will have spent his prison life largely segregated from the rest of the prison population and classed as a vulnerable prisoner.
He added: “However, as a child killer, he would also be disliked by sex offenders. Even sex offenders have boundaries that they would not cross.”
He said that over time, Huntley would become eligible to attend offending behaviour courses, which may result in him having contact with non-vulnerable prisoners.
Mr Johnstone added: “Movement around the prison, even attending for visits (legal and domestic), can place such a prisoner at an increased risk of attack
“Despite the amount of supervision and isolation these high-profile prisoners live under, there is unfortunately very little that can be done to keep them completely safe.
“Other than confining them indefinitely to their cell, there will always be some opportunity for another inmate or gang to get access to them.
“When we add into the mix the fact that most prisoners suffer mental health problems, and over many years in prison these problems become severe, such an attack becomes inevitable.”
Mr Johnstone said the situation was not helped by declining prison staff numbers, adding: “As a result, many of these prisoners spend their whole time inside looking over their shoulder, just waiting for the moment they will be attacked.”
It comes just four months after paedo rocker Ian Watkins was killed in an attack at Wakefield Prison, where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “A prisoner is receiving treatment after an incident at HMP Frankland on Thursday morning. It would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate.”
A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: “Police were alerted to an assault which had taken place within HMP Frankland in Durham this morning. A male prisoner suffered serious injuries during the incident and was transported to hospital.
“A police investigation is now under way into the circumstances of the incident and detectives are liaising with staff at the prison.”
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