Soham murderer Ian Huntley seriously injured in prison attack

Soham double murderer Ian Huntley is in a serious condition after being attacked in prison, the BBC understands.

The 52-year-old is serving a life sentence after he was convicted of murdering schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002.

Although the Prison Service did not confirm the identity of the injured prisoner, it said an inmate at HMP Frankland, a high-security facility in County Durham, was receiving treatment.

"It would be inappropriate to comment further while police investigate," a spokesperson added.

It is understood the attack on Huntley happened in a prison workshop just before 09:30 GMT.

The Sun newspaper, which first reported the attack, said Huntley was beaten with a metal pole by another inmate.

An air ambulance was dispatched to HMP Frankland, but the North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said the injured inmate was taken to hospital by road.

Durham Constabulary confirmed a police investigation is under way and that detectives are liaising with staff at the prison.

"Police were alerted to an assault which had taken place within HMP Frankland in Durham this morning," a Durham police spokesman said.

"A male prisoner suffered serious injuries during the incident and was transported to hospital."

The deaths of 10-year-olds Jessica and Holly in the quiet Cambridgeshire town of Soham on 4 August 2002 shocked the country.

Huntley - originally from Grimsby - enticed both schoolgirls into his home and murdered them, before dumping their bodies in a ditch some 12 miles away.

Suspicions were raised about Huntley after he gave detailed interviews to the media about Holly and Jessica.

Two weeks after they disappeared, Holly and Jessica's bodies were found in a ditch near an air base in Lakenheath, Suffolk.

Huntley, who was a caretaker at Soham Village College, was arrested and charged with their murders.

During his trial at the Old Bailey, prosecutor Richard Latham QC described Huntley as "ruthless" and said Huntley's account of both deaths were "desperate lies".

However, he admitted he had killed Jessica by putting his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming and that he had told lies to police to cover his tracks. Huntley also admitted dumping the girls' bodies in the ditch and trying to burn them.

Huntley was convicted on 17 December 2003 following a trial at the Old Bailey.

His girlfriend Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant at the girls' primary school, was also jailed in 2003 after being found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

She was freed from jail and given a new identity in May 2004.

After his arrest, it emerged Huntley - now aged 52 - had been able to work with children despite being the subject of rape and sexual assault complaints.

Huntley had been the subject of a series of complaints made to police in Humberside, where he had worked before.

A subsequent inquiry led to criminal checks on anyone working with children.

It is not the first time Huntley has been injured while serving time in prison.

In 2008 Huntley was moved to HMP Frankland, a Category A high security men's prison.