Ian Huntley Sues Prison Service For £100,000

Sat, 31 July 2010 Courtesy of: Guardian Unlimited

Ian Huntley, the Soham murderer, is suing the prison service after he allegedly had his throat slashed with a razor blade by another inmate, it emerged last night.

Huntley, who is serving a life sentence for the 2002 Cambridgeshire murders of 10-year-old friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was attacked on 21 March.

The former school caretaker claims he had his throat slashed by Damien Fowkes, who is serving life for knifepoint robbery, at high security Frankland Prison, Co Durham, and required hospital treatment.

Huntley is demanding almost £100,000 in damages – £20,000 for his injuries and a further £60,000 in punitive damages – one newspaper reported. It was also reported Huntley, 36, is expecting to claim up to £15,000 separately, through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

The Ministry of Justice confirmed Huntley was taking legal action, alleging that the prison service failed in their duty of care towards him. His claims are based on his high-profile status in prison and previous attacks on him by other inmates.

"Ian Huntley is bringing a claim against the Ministry of Justice following an assault by another prisoner," a Ministry of Justice spokesman said. "The claim is currently being vigorously defended."

Earlier this year Jack Straw, then justice secretary, said the government had "absolutely no intention" of paying compensation to Huntley over the attack.

The comments, at Commons question time, came as it emerged that Huntley could be awarded up to £20,000 in compensation if he sued for negligence.

Despite spending much of his sentence in solitary confinement, Huntley has been attacked numerous times since being convicted of the murders in 2003.

In one incident he had boiling water thrown over him. In another he narrowly escaped being stabbed and was badly assaulted.