Huntley takes drugs overdose for third time

Huntley takes drugs overdose for third time

Thair Shaikh
Saturday September 29, 2007
The Guardian

Soham murderer Ian Huntley was admitted to hospital last night after overdosing with prescription medication, despite being on suicide watch.

Huntley, 33, convicted of killing schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, alerted staff at the Wakefield high security prison after taking the medication, the prison service said.

Officers found him while still conscious and took him to an undisclosed hospital. Late last night he was allowed to return to prison. A prison service spokesman, said: "We can confirm that Ian Huntley was treated in hospital for a suspected overdose. We will be investigating events surrounding this incident."

It is the third such incident involving Huntley, and will raise questions about security at the West Yorkshire prison.

In September 2006 prison staff found him unconscious in his cell in the early hours of the morning, again of a suspected drugs overdose. He had recently been taken off a full suicide watch.

In June 2003, he apparently tried to take his life while on remand in Woodhill prison near Milton Keynes; the former school caretaker was subsequently convicted of murder and is serving a minimum 40-year sentence.

The prison service refused to say what type of drugs Huntley had taken or whether he was receiving prescription medication. Mark Leech, editor of the Prisons Handbook, said it was not uncommon for inmates to trade medication.

Mr Leech said: "This is a dreadful story for the prison service and a huge embarrassment for them, particularly as Huntley is the highest possible security category. It is going to require some heads to be banged together to sort this out."