"[21], Concluding his questioning, Hubbard cautioned the jury not to succumb to the temptation of judging Carr's morality, but to consider her state of mind prior to her arrest when considering whether the lies she had told warranted any criminal liability, stating she had "done no wrong" on the date of the children's murder, and had not returned to Soham until 6 August. "[211], By mid-2002, the physical relationship between Huntley and Carr had begun to deteriorate. [236], Upon learning of these public disclosures, Home Secretary David Blunkett announced a public inquiry into the intelligence-based record keeping and vetting system which had allowed Huntley to obtain employment as a school caretaker despite these previous criminal complaints, which had been reported to police and social services. [73][77] Nine days later, a public memorial service was held at Ely Cathedral for both girls. ", "Huntley Must Serve 40 Years at Least, Judge Rules", "Trail of Underage Sex and Violence that Led to Murders", "Rootless and Troubled Lives of Couple Suspected of Killing Holly and Jessica", "Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells: 18 Years on From The Soham Murders", "Ex-detective Says 'Unspectacular' Huntley Did Not Stand Out", "Former Neighbour Describes Huntley Paedophile Slurs and Former Girlfriend Reveals His Violent Behaviour", "He Charmed, Bullied and Lied His Way Through Life", "School Admits Huntley References Not Checked", "Maxine Carr is One More Huntley Victim: Why Do We Demonise Her? He regularly travelled to Cambridgeshire from East Anglia on his days off to help his father, and soon developed aspirations to become a school caretaker himself. [105] Investigators had stated on 7 August they strongly believed the children had been abducted,[39] and announced their strong suspicions that both girls had been murdered on this date. [112], By 20 August, investigators had established sufficient physical evidence from Huntley's home, vehicle and Soham Village College to charge him with two counts of murder. [97] By this date, police had received information from several Grimsby residents who had recognised Huntley in the television interviews he had given, and recalled that he had been accused of rape several years earlier. [69], Carr was also interviewed by the press during the second week of the search for the children. A single police officer searched his house on 5 August; no incriminating evidence was discovered, but the officer noticed numerous items of clothing on the washing line despite the fact it had been raining. The Soham murders were a double child murder committed in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England on 4 August 2002.The victims were two 10-year-old girls, Holly Marie Wells and Jessica Aimee Chapman, who were lured into the home of a local resident and school caretaker, Ian Kevin Huntley, who subsequently murdered the childrenlikely via asphyxiationbefore disposing of their bodies in an . There is no greater task for the criminal justice system than to protect the vulnerable. [145] She further claimed to have referred to Wells and Chapman using past tense merely because she had worked with the children in the past. The Vetting and Barring Scheme aims to protect children and vulnerable adults by stopping those who pose a known risk from working with them. This revealed that the car had also been recently, extensively cleaned, but traces of a mixture of brick dust, chalk and concrete of the same type used to pave the road leading to where the girls' bodies would be discovered were found around the wheel arches and on and around the pedals. To one colleague, Capp would talk incessantly about her dreams of leaving this employment and embarking on a teaching career. The previous barring lists (Protection of Children Act list, Protection of Vulnerable Adult list and List 99) were replaced in October 2009 by two . 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. "[134], Testimony relating to the forensic evidence linking Huntley was heard on 24 November. It is believed that Cambridgeshire Police failed to perform a background check under the name Huntley. Investigators believe that prior to his 2002 arrest, Huntley had engaged in illegal sexual activity with up to 60 underage girls. Huntley would later inform investigators that he had waited for nightfall before opting to drive to RAF Lakenheath to dispose of the girls' bodies. [186], As a child and adolescent, Capp was viewed by her peers as a timid outcast, with few friends. Following their separation, Huntley had distanced himself from his father for several years. Four minutes later, Carr sent Huntley a text message which read: "Don't make me feel bad because I'm with my family. I was stood on the front doorstep grooming my dog down. This footage depicted them arriving at the local sports centre at 6:28p.m.[33][n 2] A televised reconstruction of the children's last known movements was broadcast nationally on 10 August,[35][36] and both sets of parents granted an interview with presenter Colin Baker on ITV's current affairs programme Tonight, which was broadcast on 12 August. [31], On 8 August,[32] CCTV footage of the girls, recorded minutes before their disappearance, was released to the public. "[214], In the years since his incarceration, Huntley has been repeatedly attacked by other inmates. Several of Carr's former partners would later inform reporters they found her to be an. [133] Latham then closed his statement by again bringing the jury's attention to Huntley's claim that both deaths had been accidental, remarking, "We pose this question: Two of them?" Police officers and members of the local . "[90], Discussing the personalities of the girls, Carr described Wells as being the "more feminine" of the two, adding that Chapman was "more of a tomboy"[91] and that on one occasion, she had jokingly remarked to Chapman how, unlike many of her friends, she seldom wore a skirt. She preferred to do what she could to make the best of the position she was in. Latham stated neither body showed signs of compressive neck injuries, knife wounds, drugging or poisoning, and that both girls had most likely died of asphyxiation. [228] At the time, Carr was one of four former prisoners in the UK to be given a new identity upon release. [238] Further criticism was directed at the force for their initial failure to scrutinise Carr's claims to have been in Soham on the date of the children's disappearance. Had they done so, they would have discovered an outstanding burglary charge on file relating to his November 1995 arrest for this crime. The murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman shocked the nation and changed the course of British policing. The victims were two 10 years old girls. [39], On 12 August, police launched a media appeal to trace the driver of a four-door, dark green saloon car. There's two little Beckhams over there. [23], While held on remand at Holloway Prison,[116] Carr regularly enquired as to Huntley's welfare,[117] and wrote several letters in which she professed her continued love for him. [118] This led to her developing anorexia at 16, with her weight at one stage plummeting to six stones (38 kg), and her mother forcing her to eat in order for her to regain weight. [192], In February 1999, Huntley met 22-year-old Maxine Carr in a Grimsby nightclub. 8 June 2020. He was never charged with this offence, but subsequently confessed to this attack in April 2007. [102][n 10], Having discovered the children's clothes at Soham Village College,[82] police decided to arrest Huntley and Carr. At this hearing, Carr was informed by Principal Crown Prosecutor Marion Bastin this charge carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. "[141] and that he had then accidentally suffocated her while attempting to stifle her screaming, which had preoccupied his attention as opposed to ensuring Wells did not drown. 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 7 January 2023, at 18:25. Council chiefs started an annual audit of CRB checks after it emerged that Huntley was cleared to work at Soham Village College despite alleged sex attacks in the past. [89] In one interview with Sky News correspondent Jeremy Thompson during the second week of the search, he claimed to be holding on to a "glimmer of hope"[61] the children would be found safe and well, and that he had last seen the girls walking in the direction of a local library. [68] As a result, he began rebuffing any offers to socialise with colleagues for fear of being attacked while alone in their company. The victims were two 10-year-old girls, Holly Marie Wells and Jessica Aimee Chapman, who were lured into the home of a local resident and school caretaker, Ian Kevin Huntley,[1] who subsequently murdered the childrenlikely via asphyxiationbefore disposing of their bodies in an irrigation ditch close to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. "[4], Prior to murdering Wells and Chapman, Huntley had established an extensive record of consensual and unconsensual sexual activity with femalesmany of whom had been under the age of consent. [53] When he had replied Carr had not got the job, one of the girls had said, "Tell her we're sorry" before they both walked along College Street towards a bridge leading towards Clay Street. [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. Both girls had been missing for thirteen days when their bodies were found, and their corpses were in an advanced state of decomposition. Between 1990 and 1996, Huntley worked in a succession of menial jobs, but seldom held any job for long. The inquiry scrutinised the investigation by Cambridgeshire Police into the children's disappearance and murder, as almost two weeks had elapsed following the disappearance of Wells and Chapman before Cambridgeshire Police became aware of Huntley's previous criminal background, despite his claims to be the last person to see the children alive. 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. [198] According to Carr, she was "instantly attracted" to Huntley's self-confident and pleasant persona, and agreed to begin dating him that same evening. [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. "[148], Following the conclusion of the prosecution's closing argument, Coward delivered his argument on behalf of the defence. [78] This service was attended by about 2,000 people, including the girls' classmates, teachers and the six family liaison officers who had provided 24-hour service for both families. )[177][n 12], By 2001, Huntley's proven and alleged criminal activities had been reported to Humberside Police on ten occasions and to the social services on five occasions. [108] This left police with no option but to refer Huntley to a mental hospital to undergo an extensive psychological evaluation. [171], Between August 1995 and May 1996, Huntley established numerous sexual relationships with teenage girls, all of whom were under the legal age of consent. Responding to questioning by his defence counsel, Stephen Coward QC,[137] Huntley admitted both girls had died in his house but denied that either death had been intentional. [174], In April 1998, Huntley was arrested on suspicion of raping an 18-year-old woman. [47], The following evening, a jogger alerted police to two mounds of recently disturbed earth he had seen at Warren Hill, just outside Newmarket. ", "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? Eight years on from Soham, some Cambs schools are failing CRB duties. The family regularly experienced financial difficulties, but Shirley would later state she "spoiled" her daughters to the best of her financial ability. It was designed as a response to the Bichard Inquiry . [17], When they met, Huntley temporarily worked for an insurance company in Market Rasen. [185] Psychologists have also determined Huntley has mentally blocked any attempts to accept the reality or enormity of his actions pertaining to his repeated violence against females in order that he might cope with the consequences of his actions. [1] He also stated that the girls had almost certainly not died at the location where their bodies had been discovered,[73] and that both bodies had been placed there within 24 hours of their deaths. He hasn't done it! He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of imprisonment to be imposed by the Lord Chief Justice at a later date. [76] The Reverend Tim Alban Jones officiated at this service, saying: "Would not the best and most lasting memorial to these two lovely young girls be a change for the better in how we behave towards each other? [194] Shy and reserved and prone to wear clothing which concealed her figure when sober, Capp became markedly flirtatious when having consumed alcohol, and is known to have occasionally engaged in exhibitionism in addition to frequently engaging in one-night stands with people she encountered in pubs and clubs. There are few worse crimes than your murder of these two young girls. Morris stated that the most likely cause of death of both girls had been asphyxiation. At approximately 6:15 p.m. that evening, Holly and Jessica decided they wanted to leave Holly's house and to get some candy from a local vending machine. [197] She later legally changed her surname to Carr in an apparent effort to distance herself from her father. 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). [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. [164], Despite having few friends, Huntley formed several relationships with girls while attending Immingham Comprehensive. Enchanced CRB checks will show all arrests and dealings with police, as far as I know. Both the Humberside and Cambridgeshire Police were heavily criticised for their failings in maintaining criminal intelligence records on Huntley. 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. In an effort to lose weight, she developed a habit of forcing herself to vomit after eating. Expert guide on the Vetting and Barring Scheme and CRB checks. [222] It is believed Huntley had agreed to make this recording for a fellow prisoner (who had hoped to later sell the confession to the media after his release), in return for being provided with the antidepressants he had used to attempt suicide. [191], An orange-petalled rose, dedicated to the memory of Wells and Chapman, was unveiled by representatives of Soham Town Council at the 2003 Chelsea Flower Show. Between 1992 and 2002, he had committed many acts of physical and sexual violence against women and children for which he had been unpunished. The same year, she and her mother moved from Keelby back to Grimsby. 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. Clark concluded in October that, although psychopathic,[120] Huntley did not suffer from any major mental or psychotic illness. before beginning to weep. Huntley had never been convicted of any of these criminal allegations; his burglary charge had remained on file. [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. An overnight examination revealed the two mounds of earth to be badger setts. Shortly thereafter, she and her daughters moved to the village of Keelby. [14], The prosecution contended at Huntley's trial that a likely sexual motive existed for the murders. Sexual motive existed for the children never been convicted of any of these criminal allegations ; his burglary charge remained... Is no greater task for the murders company in Market Rasen of raping an 18-year-old woman days... 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