‘I was in prison with paranoid Ian Huntley – he asked me to draw a portrait for him’

One of Ian Huntley’s fellow inmates has spoken about the moment he arrived at ‘Monster Mansion’, including when he commissioned a portrait of a child.

Huntley, who was behind bars for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, was attacked inside a workshop at HMP Frankland two weeks ago.

He was bludgeoned in the head with a metal pole, leaving him ‘brain dead with no expectation of survival’. After spending days on life support, he died on Saturday.

The attack occurred inside a workshop in the prison, nicknamed ‘Monster Mansion’ due to the notoriety of its inmates.

Other criminals housed inside the jail include Wayne Couzens, Levi Bellfield and Hussain Osman who planted one of the London bombs in 2005.

Since the start of his time at Frankland in 2008, Huntley was placed on the Vulnerable Prisoners (VP) wing, as inmates were ‘baying to attack him’.

The former inmate, who does not wish to be named, said: ‘I remember a few days before we were all warned by an officer he was going to come onto our wing.

‘He was only a few cells down from me – but he was very careful about who he spoke to.’

Despite Huntley ‘walking around like he owned the place’, he spent a lot of his time ‘paranoid and on high alert’ knowing he was at risk of being attacked.

‘All the time prisoners were saying they were going to target him,’ the ex-inmate, who was inside the jail between 2006 and 2010, said.

‘And because of this Huntley only really spoke to two people. He didn’t trust anyone.’

But Huntley did begin to trust the ex-inmate after a few weeks, particularly after finding out he drew portraits.

He said: ‘I had a bit of a business going drawing portraits for prisoners – just with pencil. When Huntley found out he asked me if I could draw a portrait for him.

‘He handed me a photograph of a young girl I believe was his daughter and an older woman who may have been his mother or grandmother.’

The ex-inmate charged him £50 for the project which Huntley first took as an insult.

‘I had to tell him I charge everyone £50,’ the ex-inmate said. ‘But he really thought I was just making him pay that because of who he was.’

Huntley’s daughter Samantha Bryan said she wanted to flush her dad’s ashes down the toilet.

Speaking to the Sun on Sunday, she said: ‘What he’s done will never leave me. But him not being here any more is definitely going to better my life and my mindset.

‘I’ve had nightmares for years. Knowing he’s gone, I think the nightmares will now dissipate.’

The Soham killer was attacked a handful of times in jail. Before being moved to HMP Frankland, he was scalded with boiling water in HMP Wakefield.

In 2010 robber Damien Fowkes slashed Huntley with a home-made weapon, causing a ‘severe, gaping cut to the left side of his neck’ with a 7in (18cm) wound which required 21 stitches.

An ex-officer also revealed to Metro he had ‘undiluted cleaning fluid thrown in his eye’, prompting him to wear sunglasses for a number of weeks.

But he added: ‘It is important to remember that the attacker is just as bad as Huntley.

‘In that prison, there are thousands of Huntleys. No one is out to get him because of his crimes because they are all the same.’

He continued: ‘They are out to get him because they are bored and they have nothing to lose.’

Anthony Russell, 43, who is serving a whole life order, has been charged with Huntley’s murder.

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