A trial date has been set for a prisoner accused of killing Ian Huntley, the notorious Soham murderer. Anthony Russell, 44, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court via video link from HMP Frankland near Durham. He did not enter a plea during the brief hearing. Russell faces a single charge of murdering the 52-year-old Huntley, who was reportedly assaulted with a metal bar in a workshop at the high-security prison on February 26.
Huntley was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle after the attack and passed away on March 7. Huntley, a former school caretaker, was serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, two 10-year-old girls.
The tragic incident occurred in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4, 2002, when Huntley killed the young friends after they left a family gathering to buy sweets. He later disposed of their bodies in a ditch located 10 miles away. Despite an extensive search involving hundreds of law enforcement officers, it took 13 days to locate Holly and Jessica’s remains.
During the time of the murders, Huntley resided with Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant at the girls’ primary school. Although he initially denied the charges, Huntley was found guilty following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2003. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term recommendation of 40 years.
