NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Britain's 'worst paedophile' died after inmate seeks brutal revenge for victims

NZ Herald
18 Nov, 2020 07:22 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Paedophile Richard Huckle stabbed to death in prison (2019). Video / BBC

Warning - confronting details

A prisoner who strangled, stabbed, sexually assaulted and killed Britain's "worst paedophile" in his cell said he did it so he would "feel what all those children felt", a Hull court has heard.

Britain's most depraved paedophile Richard Huckle was raped and strangled to death in his cell during a "carefully planned" attack by fellow prisoner Paul Fitzgerald.

The 30-year-old Fitzgerald told the court he would have gone on to kill other inmates but he was "having too much fun" dealing to Huckle.

Huckle was serving 22 life sentences for abusing 191 children when he was allegedly attacked in his cell by Fitzgerald.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Fitzgerald, himself a sexual offender, strangled 33-year-old Huckle, forced a pen into his brain before sexually assaulting him.

Paul Fitzgerald (pictured), himself a sex offender, is on trial for Huckle's murder.
Paul Fitzgerald (pictured), himself a sex offender, is on trial for Huckle's murder.

Jurors were told Huckle was murdered in a "prolonged attack designed to humiliate and degrade him".

The attack happened in October, 2019.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Fitzgerald denies murdering Huckle.

Prosecution barrister Alistair Neil Macdonald QC told the court yesterday Huckle had been stabbed in the neck with a homemade weapon.

He said another inmate discovered Fitzgerald straddling Huckle who had his hands and feet tied.

The inmate described Huckle as facing down while being strangled with a cable.

There was blood around his head, and when two prison guards ran into the cell, they could hear Fitzgerald whispering into the ear of his victim.

Richard Huckle targeted impoverished communities around the world. Photo / Supplied
Richard Huckle targeted impoverished communities around the world. Photo / Supplied

After being forcibly removed from the cell Fitzgerald told the officers, "I think I've killed him, he's dead", Macdonald said.

A search of his person revealed three weapons, a vape, two condoms and a guitar string and a bottle of lubricating jelly.

Prison staff attempted to save Huckle by performing CPR and using a defibrillator but he was soon pronounced dead.

A post-mortem concluded he died from strangulation using a ligature in the form of the electrical cable sheath.

He had bruises and abrasions over his body and had been sexually assaulted.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Huckle used his gap year as a springboard for a campaign of depraved abuse. Photo / Supplied
Huckle used his gap year as a springboard for a campaign of depraved abuse. Photo / Supplied

According to the prosecutor, Fitzgerald told a mental health care manager he had been having thoughts about cooking and eating people for a long time.

Macdonald said: "He concluded his account by saying that he felt as high as a kite when he had done it and felt amazing and that he would recommend it to anyone.

"He also said that he was only pleading not guilty because the court can send him to hospital."

He continued: "Huckle was notorious in the press. He was what was called a predatory paedophile.

"This was a carefully planned and executed attack in the course of which Mr Huckle had been subjected to a prolonged attack also designed to humiliate and degrade him."

In an interview with a consultant called Dr Shenoy, Fitzgerald said his attack was "poetic justice", it is claimed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The defendant told her: "This is a man who rapes and abuses children for fun. He could have killed them as well. I'm inclined to think he did worse than just raping them.

"When he was laid down with his pants down and he knew what was coming, he did not enjoy it I am sure. I knew what it feels like, but he doesn't.

"Rape was more about him getting a taste of that."

The jury must decide whether Fitzgerald is guilty of murder or manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

Huckle was jailed in 2016 after sharing photos and videos of his offending around the world and tried to make a business out of his disturbing crimes.

The trial continues.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

'Real and immediate threat': North Korean operatives accused of infiltrating US firms

01 Jul 08:52 AM
World

Thai PM suspended over Cambodia border dispute

01 Jul 07:37 AM
World

Calls for Gaza ceasefire as death toll spirals amid ongoing violence

01 Jul 06:54 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

'Real and immediate threat': North Korean operatives accused of infiltrating US firms

'Real and immediate threat': North Korean operatives accused of infiltrating US firms

01 Jul 08:52 AM

Zhenxing Wang has been arrested and six Chinese and two Taiwan nationals indicted.

Thai PM suspended over Cambodia border dispute

Thai PM suspended over Cambodia border dispute

01 Jul 07:37 AM
Calls for Gaza ceasefire as death toll spirals amid ongoing violence

Calls for Gaza ceasefire as death toll spirals amid ongoing violence

01 Jul 06:54 AM
Al Hilal stun Manchester City with 4-3 win in Club World Cup thriller

Al Hilal stun Manchester City with 4-3 win in Club World Cup thriller

01 Jul 05:26 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP