Ian Huntley, infamously known for the horrific Soham murders, is currently in critical condition following an assault in his prison cell. The 52-year-old, who is serving a life sentence for the 2002 murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was attacked at HMP Frankland in County Durham.

This morning, Huntley was urgently airlifted to the hospital after being ambushed on his prison wing. Reports indicate he was discovered lying in a pool of blood around 9 a.m.

A source has described the aftermath of the attack as chaotic, with Huntley’s condition being described as ‘touch and go.’ The source provided a glimpse into the intense scene that unfolded inside the prison.

Details remain unclear regarding how the attacker managed to reach Huntley, given that he is typically under strict supervision. Authorities are investigating the breach of security that led to this violent incident.

A source said how the double killer’s condition was ‘touch and go’ and described the scene on the wing as ‘absolute chaos’.

It is not know how his attacker gained access to Huntley, who is usually under close guard at all times. 

School caretaker Huntley lured both girls into his home and murdered them, before dumping their bodies in a ditch some 12 miles away.

They were not discovered until a more than a week after they went missing. 

Huntley, 52, is serving life for murdering 10-year-olds Holly and Jessica in his home in Soham, a Cambridgeshire market town made infamous by his vile crimes in 2002 

Holly Wells (left) and Jessica Chapman (right) were both murdered by Huntley in Soham, Cambridgeshire in 2002

His two victims, who were best friends, had gone out to buy sweets on a summer’s afternoon when he lured them into his three-bedroom cottage.

Their disappearance after a family barbecue sent shockwaves through the close-knit community and became one of the most sickening child murders the country has ever seen.

Suspicions about Huntley were raised after he appeared to tell one journalist in morbid detail how the girls might react to being taken by a stranger.

He was convicted in 2003 of both murders, having pleaded not guilty. Huntley was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 40 years.

His then-fiancée Maxine Carr, who was a teaching assistant at the girls’ school, would also be jailed for three-and-a-half years after giving her partner a false alibi in  a bid to help him evade justice.

She famously turned on her partner at court and Huntley was ultimately jailed for life, having tried to claim he had killed both girls accidentally.

He lied that Holly had drowned in his bath and that he had accidentally suffocated Jessica while attempting to stop her from screaming. 

Holly Wells (right) and Jessica Chapman (left), both 10, were killed by Huntley in 2002 in a double murder which horrified the nation

Huntley (left) was convicted of the murders after pleading not guilty. His girlfriend at the time Maxine Carr (right) gave him a false alibi but turned on him in the witness box

Huntley has previously been attacked in prison, most notably by armed robber Damien Fowkes in 2010, who slashed his throat.

In 2005, fellow murderer Mark Hobson also threw boiling water over him in Wakefield Prison. 

His crimes continue to cause outrage behind bars, as has Huntley’s brazen behaviour while on remand. 

Last year prison guards stormed Huntley’s cell after he was spotted wearing a red Manchester United-style shirt with the number 10 on the back.

He was accused of brazenly taunting the families of his victims, as the girls themselves had been wearing Manchester United tops at the time of their disappearance, aged 10. 

In 2018 Huntley appeared to confess to deliberately killing Jessica to stop her from raising the alarm. He continued to insist that Holly’s death was an accident. 

After Carr had served her prison sentence, she was released with a brand new identity.

This is a breaking news story and is being updated.