The news of double child murderer Ian Huntley being brutally attacked in prison sent shockwaves, but for one person, it brought an unexpected sense of profound relief. Samantha Bryan, 27, daughter of the notorious killer, expressed no sympathy for her father, whose skull was reportedly “split in two” by a spiked metal pole in a jail assault.
Upon hearing the news, Samantha admitted to feeling “glad” and even cried – not out of sorrow, but from an “overwhelming sense of relief.” The weight of being Huntley’s daughter, a man responsible for the horrific murders of ten-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, has been a heavy burden her entire life. She felt that if he died, that burden would die with him, allowing her to “breathe again.”
Samantha lived her early years unaware of her father’s monstrous crimes. It wasn’t until she was 14, doing school research, that she stumbled upon a blurred photo of herself and her mother connected to Huntley, uncovering the chilling truth. Her mother, Katie Bryan, had been just 15 when she became pregnant with Samantha by Huntley, who was 23 at the time. Katie credits Samantha with giving her the strength to leave him.
Katie was the one to inform her daughter about the recent prison attack. Samantha’s reaction was visceral: “There’s a special place in hell waiting for him.” The news made her feel like a “little girl” again, unburdened by the shadow her father had cast. She confessed to being surprised the attack didn’t happen sooner, given Huntley’s two decades in jail and previous attempts on his life.
Huntley remains in serious condition, but for Samantha, his suffering offers a profound, if dark, freedom.
