One of the issues scrutinised by the Bichard report surfaced almost immediately when Humberside Police stated their belief that it was unlawful under the Data Protection Act to hold data regarding criminal allegations which had not led to a conviction; this claim was criticised by other police forces who thought this too strict an interpretation of the Act. A further two part, 60-minute documentary, commissioned by Channel 5, Channel 5 first broadcast the three-episode drama, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 18:00. For the first five months after Holly died we broke down together, but after that we processed our grief at different speeds, Kevin told the Evening Standard. I've just watched the programme. Each refused to file criminal complaints or accept help from social services. Morris stated that the most likely cause of death of both girls had been asphyxiation. By Neil McLeod & David Brown. Today marks 20 years since schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells vanished from a family barbecue and later turned up dead. On August 17, police arrested Ian Huntley and his girlfriend, Maxine Carr, for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The images of their young faces, heads close together and wearing matching red football shirts, are fixed in our minds as we go about our daily lives, switching on news bulletins in the hope of good news, only to discover with sinking hearts that there has been none except perhaps the . [235], Immediately after Huntley's conviction, previous criminal allegations against him were made public. On August 4, 2002, Huntley murdered Wells and Chapman . There's no trace of the building which once stood there, nor a memorial to the two young girls murdered inside. Songs by: Van Dyke Parks. The murder took its toll on their marriage for a while, the pair have admitted. In this instance, a woman was raped and Huntleyby this stage suspected by police as being a serial sex offenderwas interviewed. [96], Having participated in the search for the children, Huntley regularly asked police officers questions such as how their investigation was progressing and how long DNA evidence could survive before deteriorating. Each room of Huntley's home had evidently been recently and meticulously cleaned[101] with what was later described as being a "lemony" cleaning fluid,[102] but the search of the home revealed many items of "major importance" to the investigation. The Wells family had moved out of the house they raised Holly and her younger brother Oliver in, as the memories were too painful. [23], By contrast, Carr quickly confessed to detectives she had lied about her whereabouts and her partner's actions on 4 August as, shortly before she had returned to Soham from Grimsby three days later, Huntley had claimed to her in a phone call to have seen the two girls shortly before their disappearance, admitting: "The thing is, Maxine, they came in our house! Today's service is a small milestone in our shared journey of grief and sorrow it is our hope that we may perhaps draw a line under one phase of our grieving and begin to look forward. Today, August 4, marks 20 years since schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets. The same year, she and her mother moved from Keelby back to Grimsby. [119], To determine Huntley's state of mental health, he was detained under Section 48 of the Mental Health Act for almost two months at Rampton Secure Hospital. [29] Over 260 registered sex offenders across the UK - including 15 high-risk paedophiles - were also questioned; all were eliminated from the investigation. But where are Holly & Jessicas families now? The findings also suggested a national system should be implemented for police forces to share intelligence information, and that all police forces should follow a clear code of practice on record-keeping. Wednesday 17 December 2003. Score Editors CHRIS BARRETT ADAM MILLER . As a result, he began rebuffing any offers to socialise with colleagues for fear of being attacked while alone in their company. This had included fibre evidence retrieved from Huntley's vehicle, clothes and carpets which had been a "precise match" to the Manchester United shirts the girls had been wearing at the time of their disappearance. Their disappearance attracted international media attention and precipitated the biggest ever manhunt in Britain. Holly was buried yesterday after a service at St Andrew's Church in Soham, Cambridgeshire.Sep 4, 2002 Episode 1. [201], Although they were a besotted couple in public, Huntley was very possessive of Carr, and is known to have emotionally abused and/or physically assaulted her frequently, often culminating in Carr returning to live with her mother before Huntley persuaded her to return to live with him. [202] Noting how Carr often became flirtatious when she consumed alcohol, Huntley sought to minimise any opportunity for her to drink or otherwise socialise outside his presence for fear of her cheating on him with other males. [229] Carr won an injunction on 24 February 2005, granting her lifelong anonymity on the grounds that her life would otherwise be in danger. Coward concluded his closing argument by requesting the jury deliver a verdict of manslaughter in relation to both deaths.[150]. The killers girlfriend, Maxine Carr, who was the girls teaching assistant, was jailed for giving him a false alibi. Speaking 10 years after Ian Huntley murdered Holly and her friend Jessica Chapman, both 10, Nicola said: "We felt we were still young enough to raise another child. Browse the directory of real estate professionals at realtor.com. Miss ya! She had shunned the company of boys as a child, but as a teenager cravedbut seldom receivedthe attention of boys her age, occasionally leading to bouts of binge eating[190] in addition to her developing the habit of self-harming. Carr was sentenced to serve three-and-a-half years in prison for perverting the course of justice. ", "Caretaker Charged With Murder of Two Girls and Sent to Rampton", "Holly and Jessica: Two Bodies Found in Woods", "The Whole Town is Weeping: A Community Dazed by Grief and Disbelief", "Chatroom Contact Dismissed as False Lead", "Reconstruction of Children's Walk Too Painful for Parents to Watch", "Walking in the Last Known Footsteps of Holly and Jessica", "Abduction of Six-year-old May be Linked to Missing Girls", "A Long Night Waiting for News That Never Came", "Countdown to Murder of 'Two Little Beckhams', "Soham Murders: Why did Ian Huntley Kill Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman? [10] Coroner David Morris testified the bodies of both girls were partially skeletonized, and that no precise cause of death could be determined for either of them. He then claimed to her Chapman had sat on their bed as he had helped Wells control the bleeding from her nose before both girls had left their home. The best friends, who were both just ten years old, were attending a barbeque . By John McGurk. Holly wouldve been an auntie to her brothers children. [149] Coward also contended the prosecution had failed to provide conclusive evidence to support their claim that Huntley's actual motive for the murders had been sexual. Staff initially feared Huntley might die as a result of this overdose,[124] but he was returned to his prison cell within 48 hours. Year: 1975. [85][86], In the weeks following the disappearances, Huntley reluctantly[87] granted several television interviews to media outlets such as Sky News and the regional BBC News programme, BBC Look East, speaking of the general shock in the local community and his dismay at being the last person to see the children alive. What is their net worth? [197] She later legally changed her surname to Carr in an apparent effort to distance herself from her father. When Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing in Soham in 2002, Dennis was called in by Holly's family to help. [9], The final criminal allegation against Huntley prior to the Soham murders dates from July 1999. [192][195][n 14], While Capp resided with her mother in Grimsby, she unofficially adopted the surname Benson. DESCRIPTIONOn the 4th of August 2002, best friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman disappeared from the small town of Sohom in England.One of England's bigge. [72][n 6], Despite this, investigators rapidly deduced who the two victims most likely were, and that they had not died at the location of their discovery. [192] This employment was initially voluntary work, but Carr later became a teaching assistant in the school's Year 5 class. He tearfully claimed he had not attempted to feign insanity upon his arrest, insisting the trauma of the children's deaths had temporarily erased his memory and being in the presence of police had caused his mind to temporarily seize. Nicola and Kevin Wells are the parents of Holly, who was murdered along with her best friend on August 4 2002. Huntley, 30, who is serving life for the double child killings of Holly . The parents of murdered Soham girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman have been visited by police investigating phone-hacking by journalists. Ian Huntley accuses ex-girlfriend Maxine Carr of being a liar but hopes that she will move on after the murders of Jessica and Holly Source: Cambridgeshire Police Who is Maxine Carr? They both lived in the village of Soham in Cambridgeshire, where they went to St Andrew's Primary School. No family members are expected to take the stand. [92], On 3 December, Carr went into the witness box to testify in her own defence. We do chat about her quite regularly, which I think is a very nice thing. [55], After being informed of the discovery of the children's bodies and the evidence of Huntley's guilt, including his fingerprints being recovered from the bin in which the children's clothes had been found, Carr burst into tears, shouting: "No! I wish I could see her now, see what shed have looked like, he is quoted as telling RadioTimes in 2012 , prior to having his own kids. There's no trace of the building which once stood there, nor a memorial to the two young girls murdered inside. [88], By the second week of the children's disappearance, Huntley had become an unofficial spokesman for the community of Soham. They went missing on Sunday 4 August 2002, when they were both 10 years old. They briefly moved out of the family home where she spent her last day, though. It is believed that Cambridgeshire Police failed to perform a background check under the name Huntley. [98], The same evening, police conducted a thorough search of both 5 College Close and the grounds of Soham Village College where Huntley worked as a senior caretaker[100] as the couple remained under police watch at separate locations outside Soham. [8] Another woman living in nearby Little Thetford claimed to have seen two girls whose appearance and clothing matched those of Wells and Chapman walking past her home the morning after they had been reported missing. Following their separation, Huntley had distanced himself from his father for several years. Holly's parents, Nicola and Kevin Wells, think the girls are . The girls had been at a Wells family barbecue before sneaking out to buy sweets. Between 1990 and 1996, Huntley worked in a succession of menial jobs, but seldom held any job for long. They were determined to be among the five per cent of couples who stay together after losing a child to murder. The person responsible for this abduction and assault was also believed to have followed a 12-year-old girl in the same area, although in this instance, his car had been fitted with number plates which had been stolen in Nottinghamshire. It can't have been! Luv Holly. [163] Huntley began work at Soham Village College on 26 November. [184], According to one columnist, the fact that Huntley had remained unpunished for these often blatant and continuous acts had increased his confidence and reinforced his domineering, misogynistic mindset and fuelling his recidivism. The evidence and artefacts were not made public at the time, but the items recovered from the school grounds included items of clothing the girls had been wearing when last seen; their charred and cut Manchester United shirts were recovered from a bin in a hangar at Huntley's place of work. [147], The jury deliberated for four days before reaching their verdicts against both defendants. The stated purpose of the Bichard inquiry was: Urgently to enquire into child protection procedures in Humberside Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary in the light of the recent trial and conviction of Ian Huntley for the murder of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. [175] The criminal charge was dropped a week later after the Crown Prosecution Service, having examined CCTV footage from the nightclub and environs and finding evidence of the two socialising within the nightclub, determined insufficient evidence existed to secure a conviction for this offence. [14], Huntley's motive for killing the children is unknown; minutes prior to encountering Wells and Chapman, he is known to have had an argument with Carr, ending in his slamming the phone down. [92] Carr also displayed a thank-you card to this reporter which had recently been given to her by Wells on the last day of the school year. Coronation Street: Killer twist for rapist Aaron when Tracy finds out? [8] Parr then returned home. Messages and flowers in remembrance of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells lie on the ground August 18, 2002 outside St Andrew's Church in Soham,. He then outlined the details of how Keith Pryer and his two friends had discovered the bodies on 17 August[131] at a location Huntley had known from his plane-spotting hobby and where they were unlikely to be discovered. And the intensity of your grief does diminish as the years pass., He added: Grief Encounter helped us learn how to manage our grief and that is why I will never stop supporting this charity.. [82], In a reference to Huntley's claims both girls' deaths had been accidental, Latham stated that "only one person knows what happened" after the friends entered his home. Referencing Carr's conscious efforts to deceive the police and media alike, Latham stated: "She had the prospect of marriage, a baby, a nice home and a new start. ", "In a Secure Mental Unit, Huntley is Charged on Two Counts of Murder", "Inquest Into Deaths of Murdered Cambridgeshire Girls Opens Today", "Asphyxia 'Likely Cause' of Soham Deaths", "Funerals of Soham Girls Take Place in Private", "Holly and Jessica Laid to Rest in Private", "Caretaker was Sure Holly and Jessica had Not Run Away", "Missing Girls: Police Appeal to Abductor", "Arrested Couple Publicly Declared their Affection for Girls", "Old Bailey Jury Watches TV Interviews of Huntley and Carr", "Ownership of Red Fiesta is Key Issue in Soham Trial", "Two Held on Suspicion of Murdering Missing Girls", "Tearful Carr Confronted with Evidence Against Lover, Court Hears", "In a Secure Mental Unit, Ian Huntley is Charged On Two Counts of Murder", "Soham Accused Carr to Testify Via Prison Video Link", "Maxine Carr to Wed as She Finds Man Ready to Forget Her Past", "Holly, Jessica and the Unravelling of a Dark and Terrible Mystery", "Ian Huntley Back in Prison After Taking Drug Overdose", "Jessica's Mobile 'is Vital Clue to Murder', "Soham Trial Hears Further Witness Evidence", "Please Don't Think I Could Kill, Said Huntley in Call to Mother", "Huntley Story 'Highly Unlikely' Says Expert", "Soham Murders: How Ian Huntley's Killing of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman Shook the Nation", "Maxine Carr Takes the Stand to Tell the Court Why She Stood by Huntley", "Find Him Guilty of Manslaughter, QC Tells Jury", "Maxine Carr: What Happened to Ian Huntley's Girlfriend After the Soham Murders? He applied for this using the alias Ian Nixon. e-mail; 18. shares. The girls were big David Beckham fans and were wearing matching red Manchester United tops with his name on when . C ya around school! While returning to 4 Redhouse Gardens,[11] Wells and Chapman walked past the College Close home of Ian Huntley, the senior caretaker at the local secondary school. [24] A cover from the rear seat was missing, and the lining of the boot had been recently removed and replaced with an ill-fitting section of household carpet. [132][4], Referencing the likely motive for the girls' murder and the cause of death of each victim, Latham stated that due to the extensive state of decomposition of the bodies, the coroner had been unable to determine the precise cause of death of either child, or whether the girls had been sexually assaulted before or after death. Wells and her friend, Jessica Chapman was out to purchase a sweet from a nearby vending machine. Had they done so, they would have discovered an outstanding burglary charge on file relating to his November 1995 arrest for this crime. [169] Shortly after their separation, Huntley's wife formed a relationship with and later married Huntley's younger brother, Wayne. Maxine Carr is found not guilty of helping Ian Huntley in relation to the deaths of the girls but guilty of lying to the police about what happened. Original Songs by: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Will Jennings, Robert Folk, Iwao Takamoto. [103][n 9] Fibres recovered from these garments were a precise match to samples retrieved from Huntley's body and clothing, as well as from 5 College Close. THE community of Soham was left heartbroken when the bodies of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were discovered in 2002. Huntley supplied a DNA sample to assist in their enquiries, with Carr also providing an alibi to support his claims of innocence. [171] This complainant stated Huntley had threatened to kill her before assaulting her. Runtime: 92 minutes. She was born in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England. Both services were held at St Andrew's parish church and officiated by Tim Alban Jones, and the girls were buried in adjacent graves in Soham's Fordham Road Cemetery, following ceremonies attended by only family and close friends. This vehicle was last seen turning into the Studlands Park housing estate. She was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, on 16 February 1977, the second of two daughters born to Alfred Capp and his wife, Shirley (ne Suddaby). [9] By 3:15p.m., both girls had changed into distinctive replica Manchester United football shirts, one of which belonged to Wells, and the other to her older brother, Oliver. [174], In April 1998, Huntley was arrested on suspicion of raping an 18-year-old woman. In reference to the evident extensive cleaning of the house's interior, Huntley stated: "Excuse the dining room. [16] Huntley's face showed no emotion as the verdict was announced; the mothers of both Wells and Chapman burst into tears. At this hearing, Carr was informed by Principal Crown Prosecutor Marion Bastin this charge carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. [142] When questioned about why she had then helped Huntley in extensively cleaning their home in the days after the children's murder, Carr claimed she had done so as she had always been "obsessive about tidiness. [129] Latham described how mobile phone records and eyewitness accounts placed Carr in Grimsby on the evening in question,[130] showing the statements she had given to police and press had been false. The Soham murders were a double child murder committed in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England on 4 August 2002. The 10-year-old best friends were inseperable - even when their lives were cruelly snatched away by vicious killer Ian Huntley 18 years ago today. Its strange being three of us when there used to be a fourth.. The case reached court, but the prosecution offered no evidence, resulting in a judge ordering the offence to lie on file. Two decades ago, 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered by their school caretaker Ian Huntley. Huntley's parents enrolled their son in Immingham Comprehensive at age 13. I was the last person to see them!" [170], In March 1996, Huntley was charged with burglary. [161], At both primary and secondary school, Huntley was an average scholar. It was the 4th of August 2002. [168] The marriage was short-lived due to Huntley's volatile temper, which surfaced within days of their marriage. She explained the reason for the lack of any traces of semen being discovered could have been a result of the charred and melted condition of the articles she had inspected. Shortly thereafter, Huntley obtained employment as a barman in a local pub. The Wells family still live in Soham, the village where Holly was killed. "[155], On 29 September 2005 High Court judge Mr Justice Moses announced that Huntley must remain in prison until he had served a minimum of 40 years' imprisonment; a term which would not allow parole eligibility until 2042, by which time he would be 68 years old. In particular to assess the effectiveness of the relevant intelligence-based record keeping, the vetting practices in those forces since 1995 and information sharing with other agencies, and to report to the Home Secretary on matters of local and national relevance and make recommendations as appropriate. ", "Maxine Carr: The Teenage Anorexic Who Loved Working with Children and Nights on the Town", "Arrested Couple Publicly Declared Their Affection for Girls", "Like the Gullible Young Girls Before Her, Carr Fell for Huntley's Evil Spell", "Maxine Carr: The Teenage Anorexic Who Loved Working With Children and Nights on the Town", "Class Helper Failed to Win Full-time Post", "Anyone Facing Jail by the Child Support Agency Compare it With This", "Soham Murderer Ian Huntley Attacked by Jail Inmate", "Ian Huntley Could Get 20,000 Compensation After Prison Attack", "Ian Huntley: Prisoner Admits Attacking Soham Killer", "Ian Huntley Attacker Damien Fowkes Gets Life Term", "Huntley Revealed All in Taped Confession", "Huntley Fooled Prison's Suicide Watch by Hiding 29 Anti-depressant Pills in Teabags", "Huntley Admits Sex Attack on Girl in 1997", "Maxine Carr to Get Police Guard on Release", "PCC Must Act Over Hounding of Maxine Carr", "Mob Torments Scots Woman Mistaken for Maxine Carr", "Blunkett Orders Police Chief's Suspension", "The CRB Explained: How the Criminal Records Bureau Operates", "Mum Mistaken as Maxine Carr Hopes TV Show Will End Ordeal", "Ian Huntley: The 5 Mistakes That Led to The Soham Killer's Downfall Explored in Tonight's Channel 5 Documentary", "Channel 5 Documentary Looks at Soham Murder Case 20 Years On", "Maxine Review: A Show About the Soham Murders that is Both Pointless and Dangerous", "Maxine Viewers Blast Channel 5 Soham Murders Drama for Being in 'Absurdly Bad Taste', detailing Ian Huntley's conviction of the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, detailing the minimum sentence imposed on Ian Huntley, BBC News report Retrospective news article, confessions to the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, actual motive for committing the Soham Murders, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soham_murders&oldid=1141362679, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by England and Wales, Articles with disputed statements from November 2021, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0.