Soham murderer Ian Huntley faces being transferred to a £300,000-a-year secure hospital funded by the taxpayer should he survive the prison assault, according to reports.
The cost would be substantially higher than the £85,000 required to detain the double murderer alongside fellow killers and sex offenders at HMP Frankland, County Durham. However, it is believed Huntley cannot be returned there should he pull through, as he would face considerable danger from fellow prisoners, The Mirror reports.
Only three secure hospitals are authorised to accommodate Category A inmates: Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, Rampton in Nottinghamshire and Ashworth in Merseyside. Sources suggest Huntley, the ex-school caretaker, would be moved to Ashworth, representing a dramatic change from the harsh conditions of Frankland, dubbed Monster Mansion.
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An insider revealed: “It’s still touch or go whether he will even survive beyond the next few weeks. But if he does live, there is no way he will ever return to Frankland. He won’t be in a fit state to look after himself without round-the-clock care, plus he will never be safe from other inmates.”
However, we disclosed yesterday evening that Huntley’s life support had been withdrawn, leaving him with mere hours remaining at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary. Sources informed The Sun this has rendered Huntley “effectively dead”.
Yet, should he beat the odds, 52 year old Huntley will require treatment at one of the three secure hospitals capable of accommodating an inmate of his infamy. It’s a cruel irony that Huntley will receive far greater compassion than he showed Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the ten year old Soham schoolgirls he murdered before disposing of their bodies in a ditch in 2002.
The man will receive the finest available care from a specialist team of leading NHS nurses and neurological experts throughout these crucial coming weeks and – should he pull through – for the remainder of his days.
He has had no fewer than three guards stationed at his bedside around the clock at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary. A high-profile category A prisoner such as Huntley necessitates three prison officers and a prison manager maintaining constant vigil by his hospital bed, although it’s probable only the guards now remain given Huntley is in a coma.
This presence serves to ensure his own safety rather than to prevent escape. Personnel are said to be earning £24 per hour for the overtime shifts, which many prison officers regard as the “holy grail”.