Inmate Charged with Murder of Ian Huntley Appears in Court
A prison inmate accused of murdering Soham killer Ian Huntley has appeared in court.
Anthony Russell, 43, was charged earlier this week following Huntley's death in hospital after an assault at HMP Frankland in County Durham at the end of February.
Huntley, 52, was taken to hospital after the attack on 26 February and died nine days later, according to police statements.
During a video link appearance at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, Russell confirmed his name and address. He did not enter a plea and is scheduled to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday.
Background on Ian Huntley and the Soham Murders
At the time of his death, Huntley was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for the murders of 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002.
The girls disappeared after leaving a family barbecue in Soham in August 2002. It is believed they were on their way to buy sweets when Huntley, then 28 and employed as a school caretaker, lured them back to his home and killed them.
Their disappearance attracted national media attention and prompted police appeals. The bodies of the girls were discovered in a ditch two weeks after they went missing.
Huntley was arrested on the same day the bodies were found.
His girlfriend at the time, Maxine Carr, was convicted in 2003 of conspiring to pervert the course of justice by providing Huntley with a false alibi. She has since been released and given a new identity.
Official Statements and Previous Attacks on Huntley
The Ministry of Justice has previously commented on the case, stating:
"Huntley's crime remains one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation's history, and our thoughts are with their families."
The assault in February was not Huntley's first prison attack. In 2010, he was assaulted in an incident that required 21 stitches.
