The main suspect behind the prison assault of Ian Huntley has been formally charged. Anthony Russell, the triple murder convict accused of striking the Soham Killer with a pole with a spike at its end, is scheduled to officially appear at the Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court via video link on Wednesday, 11 March.
'Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings. We have worked closely with Durham Constabulary as they carried out their investigation,' Christopher Atkinson of the CPS stated in a report byThe Guardian.
Huntley, the former school caretaker behind the deaths of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, passed away on Saturday, 7 March. This was after attending doctors took him off life support. According to theTelegraph, Ian's mother was by his side at the time and was consulted on the decision.
The attack on Huntley was allegedly sparked by an argument between the Soham Killer and Russell. It was added that Ian caused friction with other inmates after allegedly walking around with a red Manchester United football shirt.
Wells and Chapman were wearing similar shirts in photos before both were killed. Huntley wearing the same Manchester United shirt was immediately associated with that crime. It remains unclear if this is what irked Russell into carrying out the brutal assault.
Although Huntley is already dead, controversies tied to the Soham Killer remain in the air. Right now, there is a debate over the funeral expenses of the 52-year-old. Courts Minister Sarah Sackman explained how the Prison Service had always paid for basic funeral expenses of up to £3,000 unless the family of the inmate had different plans.
Further, it was added that prisons usually set aside £3,000 to give a decent funeral for an inmate who may die. This is covered in the Prison Service guidance covering an inmate who dies while in custody.
Despite this, Sackman hardly showed remorse over the case of Huntley. She admits that the senseless killing of the two minors still runs in her mind, a reason why she preferred not to discuss much about the Huntley funeral arrangements.
'We are not spending £3,000. That's the maximum in our policy, but the key thing is that we stand with those [girls'] families. I don't really want to be talking about Ian Huntley,' Sackman said. 'What I am only sorry about is that he is no longer alive, rotting in prison, thinking about what he did to those two little girls,' she added.
As far as the family of Huntley possibly holding a funeral or memorial service for the 52-year-old, nothing is clear as of this writing. The person likely to make any kind of arrangement would be his mother.
Source: International Business Times UK
