Child killer Ian Huntley, 47, gets his Covid vaccination jab inside prison ahead of millions

Child killer Ian Huntley has received a Covid vaccination in prison ahead of millions of law-abiding people his age and older. 

The 47-year-old, who killed ten-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire in 2002, had the first of his AstraZeneca vaccines at HMP Frankland, in County Durham, The Sun reports. 

His vaccination comes as millions of others, including prison staff around him, wait to fit the criteria for the jab while priority is given to over-55s, healthcare workers and people at high risk from coronavirus. 

Convicted murderer Ian Huntley, 47, (pictured in 2002) has received his first AstraZeneca Covid vaccination ahead of millions of people waiting to meet the criteria which currently gives priority to over-55s, healthcare workers and people at high risk from coronavirus

Holly Wells (left) and Jessica Chapman (right) went missing from a family barbecue in August 2002 and after an extensive search their bodies were discovered dumped in a ditch in Suffolk after Huntley lured the pair into his house and murdered them

A source said Huntley has an underlying condition that very few people are aware of. 

They said: ‘As seems to be the way in this country, we appear to be bending over backwards to ensure criminals are looked after.’

Expressing outrage at Huntley’s vaccination, the Centre of Crime Prevention’s David Spencer said: ‘How can it possibly be right that a man convicted of two child murders is being prioritised ahead of older and vulnerable citizens?’ 

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed all prisoners are being given vaccines as per the government’s priority group guidelines. 

In a statement, shared on Sky News, the department said: ‘Prisoners are being vaccinated in line with the priority groups set out by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) – no further, no faster than the general public. 

Huntley’s victims Holly and Jessica went missing from a family barbecue in the Cambridgeshire village of Soham on August 4, 2002.

He had lured the girls to his house and murdered them before dumping their bodies in a remote ditch.

He was a caretaker at the local Soham Village College, was arrested after the girls’ bodies were discovered 13 days later. 

The news of his vaccination comes as it was reported in January that Milly Dowler’s killer Levi Bellfield had been offered the Covid jab at his high-security prison. 

Bellfield, 52, was found guilty of the murder of 13-year-old Milly in 2011.

He was also convicted of the murders of French student Amelie Delagrange, 22, in 2004, and Marsha McDonnell, 19, in 2003.

Similarly, serial killer Rose West and paedophile pop star Gary Glitter are also believed to have received the Covid vaccine. 

In November 2019, Huntley was placed in solitary confinement after he attacked a prison officer. 

He swore at a prison officer and was hauled before staff for an adjudication hearing, which ended in Huntley kicking another guard and being put into solitary.

The killer has also lost his £20-a-week painting job, his favourite fish and chip dinners and the right to watch TV, sources told The Sun.