Knifepoint robber from Northampton, Damien Fowkes, quizzed over Ian Huntley jail stabbing
The stepson of a Northampton man reported to have slashed Soham killer Ian Huntley's throat in jail said today he "did it for Holly and Jessica".
Damien Fowkes, 34, is said to have cut 36-year-old Huntley's throat during an attack at Frankland Prison in Co Durham.
Today, Fowkes's stepson Lewis said: "He did it for Holly and Jessica and I'd like to pat him on the back.
"Most people will think Damien is a hero. I think he should be given a medal. The only pity is he didn't do a better job."
Fowkes's mother Jayne, 51, said her son has a daughter near the age of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who were murdered by Huntley in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in 2002.
Ms Fowkes said: "He loves his daughter so much and I'm wondering if that's what set him off."
Fowkes, of Cambourne Close, Far Cotton, aged 35, was jailed for life at Northampton Crown Court in September 2002 for three robberies over four days.
He was high on crack cocaine and 4,000 in debt to his drug dealer when he went on a violent spree with a 12-inch knife.
One terrified victim with a two-year-old child awoke to find Fowkes in her Lea Road home brandishing the knife and demanding money.
The Chronicle & Echo reported in September 2002 how Judge Richard Bray said Fowkes' previous convictions for violent robberies and his mental instability meant a life sentence, with a minimum tariff of 12 years, was justified.
He added: "One cannot imagine the terror these offences caused to the victims who thought they could be killed at any moment."
Dc David Charman, from Northampton CID, said at the time: "We are extremely satisfied with the life sentence. Fowkes was a prolific offender and hopefully the streets of Northampton will now be somewhat safer without him."
Earlier today it emerged Huntley could be awarded 20,000 compensation if he sues the Prison Service for negligence.
The Prison Service has not said what Huntley's current state is , but said after the attack that his condition was not life-threatening.
A spokesman said: "A prisoner at HMP Frankland was assaulted by another prisoner at about 3.25pm on Sunday March 21. The prisoner was taken to outside hospital for treatment but has now returned to prison."
Prison officials have launched an investigation into what happened.
It was reported that Huntley's throat was slashed with a makeshift knife, and the child killer was found by prison staff lying in a pool of blood.
He was convicted in December 2003 of murdering Holly and Jessica after they vanished from their homes in Soham in August 2002.
He is serving two life sentences for the murders, which shocked the country.
Huntley, a caretaker at the secondary school in Soham, and his then girlfriend Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant in Holly and Jessica's junior school class, initially told police they knew nothing of the circumstances surrounding the girls' disappearance.
But it emerged at their trial at the Old Bailey that Huntley had met Holly and Jessica as they walked past his home, enticed them inside and killed them before hiding their remains.
Carr was jailed after being convicted of perverting the course of justice and has now been released from prison.
The assault on Sunday afternoon is not the first time Huntley has been attacked in prison.
An inmate threw boiling water on him while he was on the healthcare wing at high-security Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire in September 2005.
He has also tried to commit suicide while in prison on three occasions.
He was moved to HMP Frankland, a Category A high security men's prison, in 2008. That year, HM Inspectorate of Prisons raised concerns about violence at the jail.
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