BRITAIN’S most depraved paedophile, Richard Huckle, was stabbed to death in his cell with a makeshift 'shiv' knife, it was revealed on Monday.
The 33-year-old was ordered to serve at least 25 years behind bars for 191 sexual offences against children as young as 6 months after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2016.
On Sunday, his bloodied-body was found 'slumped' in his top floor cell at HMP Full Sutton, a Category A jail near York, housing many of Britain's most notorious and violent prisoners.
A fellow inmate has been put in isolation as Humberside Police prepares to launch a murder investigation.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: “HMP Full Sutton prisoner Richard Huckle died on Oct 13.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further while a police investigation is ongoing.”
A spokesman for Humberside Police said today: “An investigation has been launched following an incident at HMP Full Sutton on Sunday, Oct 13.
“We were called shortly after 12.30pm, reporting that a man had died at the prison.
“Humberside Police are working closely with the Prison Service to investigate the death of an inmate and at this time, we are treating the death as ‘suspicious’.”
A monster
A friend of one of Huckle’s victims had screamed: “A thousand deaths are too good for you” as he was taken down from the Old Bailey dock after his five-week trial three years ago.
Masquerading as a devout Christian, Huckle spent years targeting care homes and orphanages while teaching English and photography in Malaysia and Cambodia.
The so called “Gap Year” paedophile bragged about the abuse in a twisted blog in which he awarded himself “PedoPoints” for the ferocity of his sexual assaults.
He even filmed himself raping children and babies. From the age of 19 he amassed a staggering 20,000 images of child abuse that he sold for profit.
Investigators believe he would have attacked hundreds more children had he not been caught in 2014 when Australian police uncovered a network of paedophiles on the 'dark' web.
He was arrested by the National Crime Agency after flying home to visit his family for Christmas in 2015.
Huckle maintained his innocence to police but later confessed to his parents. Horrified, they begged police to take him away.
In the worst case of its kind at the Old Bailey, he admitted to an unprecedented 71 charges over eight years, including rape, sexual assault and sexual activity with children.
Judge Peter Rook QC said Huckle posed a substantial risk for an indefinite period: “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.
“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 paedophile 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.”
Huckle, who used churches he attended in Kent as a “stepping stone” to gain access to victims abroad, sat with his hands clasped together as if in prayer as he was sentenced.
Child abuse “manual”
The judge said a 60-page child abuse manual Huckle penned instructing others on how to target victims was a “truly evil document”.
Huckle passed a short letter through the glass dock before sentencing, in which he claimed he was disgusted with his behaviour.
But the judge said he showed no remorse or understanding of the public abhorrence over his campaign of rape.
He added: “In my view, you may well harbour feelings of regret but there is no feeling of genuine remorse in this case.”
Investigators have been unable to identify Huckle's victims as he has refused to hand over encrypted passwords to hidden files on his computer.
He was prosecuted over the abuse of 23 children, but officers managed to uncover more than 20,000 indecent images and videos.
Anthony Hill, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “It is hard to put into words the sheer depravity. For almost nine years, Richard Huckle subjected at least 23 children, some of them very young, to the most horrifying abuse imaginable.
“He deliberately targeted and groomed vulnerable communities to gain their trust. He took photographs of the abuse to upload on the dark web to share worldwide.”
An NSPCC spokesman said: “Huckle is a frighteningly depraved paedophile who bragged about raping babies and delighted in abusing infants who trusted him.
“He left a trail of devastation and his sentence reflects the severity of his crimes. It is horrifying that Huckle was able to profit from this appalling abuse.” – Daily Mail