 Ian Huntley is currently at HMP Woodhill |
The man charged with the murder of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman has been discharged from hospital after recovering from an apparent suicide attempt. Caretaker Ian Huntley left Milton Keynes General Hospital on Tuesday afternoon to be returned to Woodhill Prison.
The 29-year-old was admitted to hospital in the early hours of Monday morning after a suspected overdose at the Buckinghamshire prison.
More than 20 police surrounded the rear of the hospital as Mr Huntley was escorted in a wheelchair to a waiting van.
He was being returned to jail, two miles away, and would be treated in the prison's hospital wing, the hospital said.
Mr Huntley reportedly lapsed into a coma after taking an overdose.
He was placed on life support, but improved overnight and by Tuesday morning was breathing on his own.
Investigation
The Prison Service confirmed a "serious incident of self-harm" which is believed to involve medication he was taking for depression.
The Prison Officers' Association said one of its members saw him experience some kind of fit.
An investigation is under way and ministers are being kept informed.
 Holly Wells (left) and Jessica Chapman disappeared on 4 August |
Harry Fletcher, of the National Association of Probation Officers, said he understood the governor of Leicester Prison had been appointed to conduct the investigation and to report his findings by Friday. Mark Freeman, the deputy general secretary of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said Mr Huntley had been on a suicide watch with checks every 15 minutes.
He said he found it "inexplicable" that he could have stored up anti-depressants.
Mr Freeman blamed recent changes in the system which meant officers with no medical training were expected to ensure that prisoners took their medication.
The POA had fought the changes, which had come into force in recent months, Mr Freeman said.
Mr Huntley denies two charges of murder.
 Staff are trained and know what to look out for  |
In April, Mr Huntley, from Soham, Cambridgeshire, appeared at the Old Bailey in London with his former girlfriend Maxine Carr. Miss Carr, also of Soham, pleaded not guilty to two offences of helping an offender and a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The 10-year-old girls went missing on 4 August after being seen walking near their homes in Soham.
Their bodies were found two weeks later in a ditch near Lakenheath, Suffolk.
A trial date of 6 October was fixed at an earlier hearing.
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