Ian Huntley’s mum Lynda Richards reportedly made a secret hospital visit after the Soham killer was bludgeoned in HMP Frankland, with sources claiming she told pals ‘part of me hopes he passes away’
Ian Huntley’s mother is understood to have visited her son in hospital, telling pals that “part of me hopes he passes away” following the brutal assault on the child killer behind bars.
The Soham double murderer remains critically ill after a fellow prisoner attacked him with a metal bar during a workshop session at HMP Frankland. The notorious killer, responsible for the deaths of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries following Thursday morning’s incident, with reports suggesting medics gave him merely a 5% survival chance.
Mother Lynda Richards, 71, made the 175-mile journey from her Lincolnshire residence to be at her son’s bedside, with sources suggesting she subsequently told friends she “just wants to be free of it”.
The former caretaker is serving life imprisonment after murdering the two youngsters, who had left a family barbecue to purchase sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4 2002, reports the Mirror.
According to The Sun, a source revealed Richards and a companion were accompanied to the hospital wing by Prison Service personnel – whilst her son remains under armed police protection. The source further claimed the mother “couldn’t recognise her own son” upon seeing him following the vicious assault.
The source revealed: “He’s been attacked on so many occasions and she now thinks it might be better if he didn’t pull through. It’s an extraordinarily difficult thing for her to come to terms with.
“Part of her just hopes he passes away this time. But he’s still her son, regardless of what happened, and they have remained very close.”
The same source claimed Richards had spoken with her son just two days prior to the brutal assault, stating she “can’t be at peace until it’s all over – and it won’t be over until he’s gone”.
Durham Constabulary provided an update this morning regarding Huntley’s condition, confirming: “There has been no change in the 52-year-old man’s condition overnight – he remains in hospital in a serious condition.”
The prime suspect in the prison assault was identified last night as triple murderer Anthony Russell, though neither police nor prison officials have verified his identity. The suspect allegedly shouted “I’ve killed him” as warders escorted him from the scene.
This follows revelations from a source who told The Mirror that the Soham killer “knew he was a target” and had become increasingly anxious about being poisoned. The source stated: “He knew that he was a target. That is why he was so paranoid about his food.”