Ian Huntley, the man convicted of murdering 10-year-old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, was reportedly one of the wealthiest inmates in the prison system thanks to his job as a barber. The 52-year-old, who died in 2026 while serving a life sentence, earned £20 a week cutting hair and had accumulated £1,300 in savings.
Prison job and savings
Huntley was given his own clippers and took a hairdressing course, which he passed. According to a source quoted by The Sun, he had been in prison for 24 years and learned various skills, including Braille and sign language. He worked as a painter for several years before switching to hairdressing.
He reportedly did not spend much of his earnings but did buy a tracksuit, PlayStation games, and CDs. His music taste included the Eurythmics, Meat Loaf, Status Quo, Neil Diamond, and Michael Jackson.
Savings from giving up smoking
The source said: "He’d been in prison for 24 years and learned all sorts in that time, including Braille and sign language. He was a painter for a number of years and loved that, but he decided to take a hairdressing course and passed. He later gave up smoking and the money he saved from that he left in his prison account. He was probably one of the wealthiest inmates but that’s what happens when you spend more than two decades behind bars."
Attack and death
Huntley was allegedly attacked with a 3ft spiked pole at HMP Frankland in County Durham in February 2026. He died nine days later. Anthony Russell, 43, is due to stand trial for murder later this year.
The Ministry of Justice issued a death in custody statement without directly naming Huntley, saying: "The murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman remains one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation’s history, and our thoughts are with their families."
