Richard Huckle: Man charged with murder of prolific paedophile who abused nearly 200 children

Huckle, who was found guilty of 71 counts of abuse against children, was reportedly stabbed to death in his cell

A man has been charged with the murder of one of the UK's most prolific paedophiles

Richard Huckle, who had been sentenced to life in jail for 71 sex crimes against children and babies, was reportedly stabbed to death in his cell last year.

Paul Fitzgerald, of HMP Wakefield, has been charged with killing Huckle at HMP Full Sutton, according to Humberside Police.

Huckle was handed 22 life sentences in 2016 for sex offences involving nearly 200 Malaysian children aged between six months and 12 years.

He was found dead at the maximum security prison in East Yorkshire on 13 October last year after reportedly being wounded with a makeshift blade.

The convicted child sex offender posed as an English teacher and Christian volunteer while preying on young victims in poor neighbourhoods around Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital.

The photographer from Kent awarded himself "paedopoints" for different acts of abuse against 191 youngsters and sold images of his depravity on the dark web. He also wrote a manual called “Paedophiles And Poverty: Child Lover Guide”.

He was arrested at Gatwick Airport after returning to the UK to spend Christmas with his family in 2014.

Officers seized his encrypted laptop and managed to uncover more than 20,000 indecent pictures and videos, although there were other files they were unable to crack.

Fitzgerald will appear at Beverley Magistrates Court via video link on 5 February, police have said.

Press Association contributed to this report