Wayne Couzens 'fears he'll be next' after Ian Huntley attack

Wayne Couzens is said to be "really scared" after Ian Huntley was brutally assaulted in Frankland prison last week. Insiders say he fears he could be next

03:06, Fri, Mar 6, 2026 Updated: 03:13, Fri, Mar 6, 2026

An individual with a bald head and a beard is depicted in a close-up portrait. The person's facial expression conveys a sense of

Former police officer Couzens, 53, murdered Sarah Everard in 2021 (Image: SWNS)

Wayne Couzens is "petrified" he might be targeted behind bars following last week's assault on Ian Huntley at the same jail.

Former police officer Couzens, 53 - who murdered Sarah Everard in 2021 - is reportedly "really scared" as he serves his sentence in his cell at HMP Frankland, County Durham. This follows Huntley, 52, being rushed to hospital last Thursday after an attack at the facility.

Sources revealed how medical staff "worked miracles" to save him, and how prison officers believed he had died when they discovered him lying in a pool of blood. Huntley was reportedly given just a 5% chance of surviving after being struck repeatedly and sustaining serious head injuries.

Emergency services rushed to the Category A prison at approximately 9am on February 26.

The Sun has reported that Huntley has been declared blind after suffering eye injuries. It is claimed he is not expected to regain consciousness.

A source told the publication: "It is now looking like he will not pull through, barring a miracle. Huntley never recovered from the battering and never stood much of a chance of doing so.

"His condition has not really improved since day one despite the best efforts of doctors. It looks like it's only a matter of time. It could be days, it could be weeks. It is probably for the best. Few people will shed a tear."

In the wake of the attack, other high-profile inmates are reportedly fearing they could be next.

An individual dressed in a dark-colored jacket with a blue collar stands against a plain, light-colored background, appearing to

Ian Huntley, 28, caretaker at Soham Village College Secondary School, in Soham, Cambridgeshire, who was one of the last people to see Jessica Chapman and her ten year old friend, Holly Wells. He spoke to the girls at shortly before they went missing, sparking a huge search. *21/08/02 Maxine Carr (left) and file photo dated 10/8/02 of Ian Huntley. The caretaker was charged, Tuesday 20 August 2002, with the murder of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. He is undergoing psychiatric assessment at Rampton Hospital, Nottinghamshire, and is not due in court today, Wednesday 21 August 2002. Carr has been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and was due to appear before Peterborough Magistrates Court today. 16/04/03 Soham suspects Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr were appearing together in court, for the first time. They were due in the dock in Court One at the Old Bailey where they were due to enter their pleas to a number of charges. Caretaker Huntley, 29, is accused of murdering Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells, both aged 10, who disappeared from Soham, Cambridgeshire, last year. He is further charged with conspiring with Carr, 26, to pervert the course of justice. Carr is also charged with two offences of assisting an offender. 09/06/03 : Soham murder suspect Ian Huntley, 28, who was reported admitted to hospital after 'a serious self-harm incident'. Huntley is being held at HMP Woodhill accused of the murder of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. 16/12/2003: The jury in the Soham murder trial was continuing to consider its verdicts for a third day, Tuesday December 16, 2003. The seven women and five men have deliberated for about 11 hours in total since they were sent out on Friday, but have failed to reach verdicts. Huntley denies murdering Holly and Jessica on Sunday August 4 last year but has admitted a single charge of conspiring to pervert the course of justice. *26/02/04: The inquiry in to how Soham child killer Ian Huntley got a job as a school caretaker despite a string of sex allegations got under way. The Bichard Inquiry will examine how Huntley was able to slip through the police vetting net, and the flaws in intelligence handling that led to him working at Soham Village College. It was while working there that he abducted and murdered 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002. 19/7/04: Ian Huntley who has admitted to his parents that he deliberately killed Jessica Chapman, it was reported. Huntley, 30, who is serving life for the double child killings of Holly Wells and Jessica, made the shock confession during a prison visit by parents Kevin and Lynda, the Daily Mirror said. The parents have spent months trying to persuade their son to tell the truth over what happened to the 10-year-old school pals in his house in August 2002. (Image: PA)

A source informed The Sun that Couzins is living in fear: "He's petrified. He's told people he fears he'll be next and is the No1 target now after the Huntley attack.

"This week marks the fifth anniversary of Sarah's murder and has put him even more in the spotlight. Couzens is really scared and isn't a tough or imposing bloke, either.

"He's obviously ex-police, which puts him in greater danger, and his crime is so notorious."

Huntley is serving a life sentence after being found guilty of murdering schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002. He will not be eligible for parole until at least 2042.