The police officer who led the case against child killer Ian Huntley has expressed “mixed feelings” about his murder in prison, saying he was disappointed the Soham murderer never told the truth about his crimes.
Chris Stevenson said he wished the former school caretaker had the “decency” to reveal what had happened to Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who he killed after luring them inside his home in 2002.
Huntley, 52, died in hospital on Saturday after he was reportedly attacked with a 3ft spiked metal pole in a waste management workshop. He suffered brain and skull injuries and was left on life support for nine days.
Stevenson, 76, a retired detective chief superintendent, told The Times: “I have mixed feelings about Huntley. I have always wanted him to spend the remainder of his life in prison and wake up every morning thinking about what he did. My biggest disappointment is that he never had the decency to tell the whole truth about what happened on that fateful day in 2002.”
Huntley had been serving a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years, and had previously been the target of prison attacks.
In August 2002, Holly and Jessica were reported missing by their parents after they had ventured out to buy sweets.
A large-scale search operation was launched, with Huntley identified as a suspect within days. Their burnt bodies were discovered in a ditch 13 days later.
During his Old Bailey trial in 2003, Huntley claimed that Holly had accidentally drowned in the bath and he had killed Jessica by covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming.
His former girlfriend, teaching assistant Maxine Carr, was jailed for perverting the course of justice, after she knowingly gave him a false alibi.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Huntley’s only child said she did not want him to have a funeral or a memorial stone to avoid it attracting “freaks or weirdos”.
Samantha Bryan said: “He shouldn’t have the dignity of a funeral and grave. Funerals are supposed to be about celebrating someone’s life and there’s nothing about him to celebrate. There’s no point having a funeral as he’ll burn in hell. There is no place for him in heaven. The devil is waiting.”
She said that she had learnt she was Huntley’s daughter at the age of 14 after she was informed by her mother Katie Bryan, who met the killer when she was 15 years old.
Ms Bryan, 45, added: “A Christian burial is for good people and he’s the devil. He’s evil. I know he’s going to burn in hell.”
Huntley’s mother, Lynda Richards, is said to have been at his bedside at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle when he was removed from life support.
His attacker is alleged to be triple killer Anthony Russell, who received a whole life order in 2021 for the murders of Julie Williams, 58, her son David, 32, and the rape and murder of pregnant Nicole McGregor, 31, near Leamington Spa.
A spokesman for Durham police said of Huntley’s death: “A police investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing. A file is being prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service.”
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