Britain's worst pedophile Richard Huckle who sexually assaulted nearly 200 children 'stabbed to death with a makeshift blade' in prison
One of Britain's worst pedophiles, Richard Huckle, was found stabbed to death in his cell with a makeshift "shiv" knife on Sunday, according to reports. Huckle, after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2016, was sentenced at least 25 years in prison for 191 sexual offenses against children as young as six months.
Reports state that Huckle's bloodied body was found "slumped" in his top-floor cell at HMP Full Sutton, a Category A jail near York. The prison houses Britain's most violent prisoners. As Humberside Police prepares to initiate a murder investigation into the incident, a fellow inmate of Huckle has been put in isolation, according to the Daily Mail.
Huckle, masquerading as a devout Christian, used to target children at orphanages and care homes in the guise of teaching them English and photography in Malaysia and Cambodia. The 33-year-old even boasted about abusing the children in his blog, where he awarded himself "PedoPoints" for his sexual assault. Huckle even filmed sick videos of himself raping babies and children. Authorities also found out that Huckle, since the age of 19, had amassed nearly 20,000 images of child abuse which he sold to other pedophiles for profit.
He was eventually caught in 2014 when Australian police uncovered a network of pedophiles on the "dark web." Investigators believe that Huckle would have continued to target hundreds of children if he had not been apprehended. He was arrested by the National Crime Agency after he flew home for Christmas to visit his family. Although Huckle initially maintained his innocence to authorities, he later caved in and confessed to his parents who were left horrified as they begged officers to take away their son.
Huckle, later at the Old Bailey, admitted to multiple charges for crimes ranging over eight years, including, rape, sexual assault, and sexual activity with a child. Judge Peter Rook QC, during his sentencing, said: "This was a prolonged campaign of rape of the children from a small community. You targeted and groomed impoverished children and their families in a poor community, no doubt seeking to impress them with your relative wealth as a Westerner."
"That community was particularly vulnerable because of its poverty. Your offending became entrenched in everyday life, your life revolved around abusing children," the judge continued. "Your distorted beliefs are deep-seated, your self-delusion knows no bounds. You were and are sexually obsessed with children. It is clear from your postings on hidden encrypted pedophile websites on the dark web, and from the manual you were in the process of drafting, that your life revolved around your obsession with your own sexual gratification by child sex abuse. It is also clear that, had you not been arrested, you planned to continue the same lifestyle."
Investigators, to this date, have been unsuccessful in identifying Huckle's victims as he refused to share encrypted passwords to hidden files on his computer. Officers, however, managed to uncover 20,000 indecent images and videos from his system and he was prosecuted over the abuse of 23 children.