Double murderer Ian Huntley, jailed in the UK for killing two 10-year-olds in 2002, was left unconsious in his cell after being attacked by another inmate.
According to The Sun, Huntley was rushed to hospital in a serious condition after the attack.
The 52-year-old was sentenced to life in prison for murdering schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002.
The Sun said the attack occurred at around 9am Thursday (local time), when Huntley was hit in the head by a metal pole with a spike at HMP Frankland. A source told the newspaper his condition was "touch and go".
The UK Prison Service confirmed an inmate had been taken to hospital from the high-security facility in County Durham.
Durham Constabulary said a prisoner in his 40s, suspected of carrying out the attack, was "in detention" but had not been arrested "at this stage".
A Durham police spokesperson said an investigation was underway, with detectives working with prison staff.
"Police were alerted to an assault which had taken place within HMP Frankland in Durham this morning," a Durham police spokesperson said.
"A male prisoner suffered serious injuries during the incident and was transported to hospital."
The UK was shocked at the murders of Jessica and Holly in the quiet Cambridgeshire town of Soham, about 120km north of London.
The two girls had left a family barbecue to go and buy lollies when Huntly lured them to his home, murdering them and dumping their bodies in a ditch.
He was arrested after concerns were raised about his strangely detailed answers when being interviewed by the media about the girls.
At trial, Huntley pleaded not guilty, but a jury disagreed and convicted him of the murders. He was ordered to serve a minimum of 40 years in prison before being considered for release and is not eligible for parole until 2042.
His partner, a teaching assistant at the girls' school, was jailed for three-and-a-half years for perverting the course of justice by giving him a false alibi.
The attack was not the first Huntly faced since beginning his sentence.
In 2018, the Sun reported that an inmate had tried to slit his throat. A similar incident occurred in 2010. While at Wakefield Prison in 2005, another convicted murderer threw boiling water over him.
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