An inquiry is scheduled to commence in the coming month regarding the passing of Ian Huntley, the infamous perpetrator of the Soham murders, who succumbed to injuries sustained during an assault in prison.
Ian Huntley, aged 52, passed away at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle on March 7, following an alleged attack involving a metal bar at HMP Frankland in Durham on February 26.
The County Durham and Darlington Coroner has disclosed information about the initial hearing for the inquiry, set to be held in Crook, County Durham, on April 14.
The inquest, conducted under the name Ian Kevin Huntley, will be overseen by senior coroner Jeremy Chipperfield.
It has been reported that there will be no public funeral service for the convicted child murderer, as Huntley’s family reportedly intends to scatter his ashes privately.
Anthony Russell, aged 43, has been accused of Huntley’s murder within the high-security facility and is scheduled to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on April 24 for a pre-trial preparation session.
Huntley was serving a life sentence for the tragic 2002 killings of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both aged 10. The former school caretaker committed the heinous crimes after the girls went missing in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4, 2002. The bodies of the young victims were discovered 10 miles away in a ditch, 13 days after their disappearance.
During the time of the murders, Huntley was in a relationship with Maxine Carr, who served as a teaching assistant at the girls’ school. Huntley denied the charges but was ultimately found guilty in 2003 at the Old Bailey and sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 40 years.
Carr provided Huntley with a false alibi and received a prison sentence of 21 months for obstructing justice. She is currently living under an assumed identity.
