CPS announces man charged with the murder of Ian Huntley at HMP Frankland
The Crown Prosecution Service has today announced Anthony Russell, 43, has been charged with the murder of Ian Huntley at HMP Frankland.
Christopher Atkinson of the Crown Prosecution Service said:
"The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Anthony Russell with murder following a police investigation into a fatal attack on Ian Huntley at HMP Frankland.
“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.
“We have worked closely with Durham Constabulary as they carried out their investigation.”
Anthony Russell will appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court, via video link, on Wednesday 11 March.
We remind all concerned that proceedings against the suspect are active and that Anthony Russell has a right to a fair trial.
It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.
Notes to editors
- Anthony Russell [16.4.1982] is an inmate at HMP Frankland.
- Christopher Atkinson is the Head of the Complex Casework Unit for CPS North East.
- The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.
- The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.