[127], The trial of Huntley for the murders of Wells and Chapman opened at the Old Bailey on 5 November 2003 before Mr Justice Alan Moses; Huntley was charged with two counts of murder, to which he entered a plea of not guilty. [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. He was not charged. [193], Several of Capp's colleagues later remarked how they found her to be a distant and immature figure with few friends or hobbies. RMG6JATP - The parents of murdered Soham schoolchildren Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, from left, Leslie and Sharon Chapman and Kevin and Nicola Wells, arrive at the Old Bailey in London, where the prosecution is expected to outline its case at the trial of Ian Huntley and his former girlfriend Maxine Carr. [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 funeral services for Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were held on consecutive days in September 2002. Its strange being three of us when there used to be a fourth.. The Wells family had moved out of the house they raised Holly and her younger brother Oliver in, as the memories were too painful. Includes summary of election income, expenditures and surplus campaign funds. They briefly moved out of the family home where she spent her last day, though. The killer's girlfriend, Maxine Carr, who was the girls' teaching . 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. However, they did break their silence on the first anniversary of the Police National Database launch. Four minutes later, Carr sent Huntley a text message which read: "Don't make me feel bad because I'm with my family. [8] Parr then returned home. [200] Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to a ground-floor flat in Scunthorpe, where Huntley formally proposed to Carr in June 1999. An overnight examination revealed the two mounds of earth to be badger setts. "[79], An online book of condolence attracted more than 31,000 messages of grief and sympathy[80] and on 24 August, football clubs across Britain held a minute's silence before games. Kevin, who runs his own window cleaning business, is also the founding patron of the charity Grief Encounter. From the moment Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman are discovered missing (4th August 2002) every heart rending . [31], On 8 August,[32] CCTV footage of the girls, recorded minutes before their disappearance, was released to the public. Holly and Jessica had been playing together at a . Girl who thinks she might be Madeleine shunned by family for giving hope to McCanns, Ant and Dec defend Saturday Night Takeaway pranks in wake of Ofcom complaints. He was never charged with this offence, but subsequently confessed to this attack in April 2007. He chose not to enrol in college and instead committed himself to finding employment. [38], Maxine Carr was born Maxine Ann Capp. Read more: Heartbreak of Ian Huntleys daughter as father shows no remorse for Holly and Jessicas murder. [81], The inquest into the children's deaths was held at Shire Hall, Cambridge, on 23 August 2002. What happened to Elisabeth and her children? In what Huntley had believed would be his posthumous confession, he claims to have confessed to having murdered both girls to Carr prior to their arrest and his plans to confess to authorities, to which, Huntley alleged, Carr had slapped his face and informed him to "pull [himself] together" as she did not wish to lose the teaching position she had yearned for all her life. [242] This recommendation later led to the foundation of the Independent Safeguarding Authority. The Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Tom Lloyd, was also subjected to severe criticism as his force had failed to contact Humberside Police during the investigation into Huntley's criminal background prior to his securing employment at Soham Village College. But, whatever he initiated, plainly went wrong. [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?" [228] At the time, Carr was one of four former prisoners in the UK to be given a new identity upon release. [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. "[109] According to Carr, Huntley then informed her the children had entered their home in order that Wells could stanch her nosebleed. [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. [187], The marriage between Capp's parents was marred by frequent arguments. Each provided witness statements before being placed in a safe house in the village of Histon. "[111] Despite these revelations, Carr initially remained emotionally attached to Huntley and professed her belief in his innocence to both the police and her family. 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. Holly Wells was a British murder victim from Soham, Cambridgeshire. Three of them were aged 15, and one 13. The brutal murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman shocked the entire country. They went missing on Sunday 4 August 2002, when they were both 10 years old. Both were arrested on suspicion of abduction and murder at 4:30a.m. on 17 August. They were determined to be among the five per cent of couples who stay together after losing a child to murder. [146], On 10 December, counsel for both prosecution and defence delivered their closing arguments to the jury. [163] Huntley also enjoyed football, and was an avid supporter of Manchester United. Its strange being three of us, when there used to be a fourth.. Two decades on, where are their parents now, and how have they moved on from the awful tragedy? In your attempts to escape responsibility, in your lies and manipulation you have increased the suffering of two families. [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. "[17] Huntley did not reply to this message. [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? [167], In June 1994, Huntley began dating 18-year-old Claire Evans, who he met through his employment at a local Heinz factory. Here, his mental state was assessed by Christopher Clark, a consultant forensic psychiatrist, to determine whether he suffered from any form of mental illness and whether he was mentally competent to stand trial. The same year, she and her mother moved from Keelby back to Grimsby. [207][n 16] No background check was conducted before or after this job interview,[108] and although Huntley lacked extensive experience in this form of employment, his application for this position was successful. 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. 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. I am Madeleine McCann girl has a price on her head as police investigate credible death threat, Emmerdale fans work out Caleb Miligans real reason for Home Farm plot as Alex returns, I am Madeleine McCann girl shares big announcement: Our discoveries are shocking, I am Madeleine McCann girl Julia Wandelt on dream come true as she shares news, Website appears to remove vile Madeleine McCann merchandise following fierce backlash, Con Girl on Paramount+: The disturbing tale of serial con artist Samantha Azzopardi. Huntley's mother's maiden name had been Nixon. "[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. He was just six years old at the time of his sisters murder. Holly's father Kevin Wells described how on the Sunday afternoon Jessica phoned her parents to ask permission to stay over for a barbeque, which . Watch on . Carr's decision to corroborate Huntley's lies to investigators and media in the early stages of the police investigation briefly resulted in police discounting Huntley as a suspect before eyewitness accounts of Carr's whereabouts on 4 August and a search of mobile phone and telephone records proved the, Huntley had attempted to burn these clothes in the late evening of 4 August; the, Investigators later discovered that a week before his arrest, Huntley had taken his car to an. [135] Davey testified she had found minute traces of blood and saliva on these objects, but no positive traces of semen. [222][223], In April 2007, Huntley confessed to having sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl he had dragged into an orchard in 1997. 15 August 2002[61], At about 12:30p.m. on 17 August,[62] a 48-year-old gamekeeper named Keith Pryer discovered the bodies of both girls lying side by side in a 5-foot (1.5m) deep irrigation ditch close to a pheasant pen near the perimeter fence of RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk,[63] more than 10 miles (16km) east of Soham. The murder took its toll on their marriage for a while, the pair have admitted. [15][16] Chapman's Nokia 6110 mobile phone was switched off at 6:46p.m.[17][1][18], At 8:00p.m., Nicola Wells entered her daughter's bedroom to invite the girls to say goodbye to her house guests, only to discover both children were missing. [192], In 1993, Capp finished her schooling, having obtained no qualifications. Nicola and Kevin Wells are the parents of Holly, who was murdered along with her best friend on August 4 2002. [6] He stressed that the cause of death was murder, adding: "Ten-year-old girls don't just drop dead. This was supported by the headteacher of St Andrew's Primary School, who told reporters: "The possible danger from strangers is something we have impressed upon [the children] from an early age. I hope the next time I see him, it will be like we saw our daughtersand it will be in a coffin. "[214], In the years since his incarceration, Huntley has been repeatedly attacked by other inmates. A prisoner who is serving a life sentence for the notorious murders of British schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman is in hospital after having . One heartbreaking aspect of the murder of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman was that parents everywhere could imagine that these could have been their children. Rating: PG. 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 children, before disposing of . [125][126][6], At a preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey on 16 June 2003, Huntley pleaded not guilty to the charges of murdering Wells and Chapman, and guilty to the charge both stood accused of: conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Holly Johnson, Brian Nash & Mark O'Toole. We have her pictures in and around the house, but its not a shrine we dont live in the past.. He conceded his client was guilty of physical responsibility for the girls' actual deathsas Huntley had admittedand therefore deserved punishment, but argued that the prosecution had failed to provide definitive proof that Huntley had intended to murder the children or cause them bodily harm. Discussing Huntley's mindset, Leslie Chapman opined: "I think he was a time bomb waiting to go off and both our girls were in the wrong place at the wrong time. 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 . Huntley had never been convicted of any of these criminal allegations; his burglary charge had remained on file. Nicola and Kevin Wells are the parents of Holly, who was murdered along with her best friend on August 4 2002. Soham: The Murder of Holly and Jessica 1/2 - True Crime DocumentaryTwo girls go missing from a Cambridge town in August of 2002, leaving their community reel. [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. [180] The youngest girl Huntley is known to have raped was 12 years old, with another girl he had attempted to rape being 11. Chapman was described as being tanned, with shoulder-length, brown hair; Wells was described as being fair, with blonde hair. [69] Huntley had allegedly suspected Carr of conducting affairs throughout their relationship, leading his mother and some police officers to suspect he had killed the two girls in a fit of jealous rage. I was the last person to see them!" [192], In February 1999, Huntley met 22-year-old Maxine Carr in a Grimsby nightclub. [10] At 5:04p.m., a photograph of the two friends was taken by Wells' mother before the children ate dinner with the other house guests. [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. Ian Huntley brutally murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in the Soham murders of 2002 - and persuaded his girlfriend Maxine Carr to cover for him. Byline: Eileen Taylor THEY seem almost like family now, blonde Holly Wells and brown-haired Jessica Chapman. [218][219][220], On 5 September 2006, Huntley attempted to kill himself by taking an overdose of antidepressants he had accumulated in his prison cell. [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. ", "Police Reveal Horrors of Bodies in Ditch", "Last Farewell: Holly Buried in Private Service with Flowers from The Beckhams; Jessica is Laid to Rest 24 Hours Earlier as The Two Families Grieve Alone", "Police Identify Holly and Jessica's Bodies", "Soham Murders: Why Did Ian Huntley Kill Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman? Miss ya! Several of Carr's former partners would later inform reporters they found her to be an. [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. He then speculated Huntley's defence counsel may try and argue that he had been confused, commenting: "In that case, they would have to consider [Huntley's] behaviour over the fortnight between the girls' disappearance and their bodies being found. [69], Carr was also interviewed by the press during the second week of the search for the children. Songs by: Van Dyke Parks. Performed by Frankie Goes to . "[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. 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. [213], On 3 April 2004, the three-bedroomed house in College Close in which the murders occurred was demolished and the site levelled, with all rubble from the property being discarded in various undisclosed locations. Maxine Carr is a former teaching assistant at St. Andrew. ", "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? Jessica and her friend Holly Marie Wells were both killed by Ian Huntly and his girlfriend Maxine Carr. [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. [114][n 11] She was further charged with two counts of assisting an offender on 17 January 2003. In this offence, he and an accomplice allegedly broke into the house of a neighbour in Grimsby and stole electrical goods, jewellery and cash. He would typically use guile or force to achieve his desires. Between 1990 and 1996, Huntley worked in a succession of menial jobs, but seldom held any job for long. Most watched News videos. The 10-year-old friends left the gathering to buy sweets in Soham . [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. We slept on it for a long . Following their separation, Huntley had distanced himself from his father for several years. He was reportedly awarded 2,500 in legal aid to pursue this claim. [38] These appeals for information on the whereabouts of Wells and Chapman produced over 2,000 phone calls and tips from the public, with all information obtained entered into the investigation's HOLMES 2 database. Music Composed and Conducted by: David Newman. "[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. 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. [84] At the request of both families, the media refrained from reporting on either service. 10 year old Jessica Chapman called over to see her friend Holly Wells. [193], By the time Capp had obtained employment at Bluecrest, she had garnered sufficient courage to begin dating men, but none of these relationships lasted more than a few months. Therefore, in this ruthless man's mind, both girls had to die in his own selfish self-interest." EVA REISTAD. 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. [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. Produced In Association With Silver Screen Partners III and MTM Enterprises, Inc. "The Roger Rabbit's Little OddParents". Kevin and Nicola never sold the property, though, and plan on moving back. School caretaker Ian Huntley is currently serving a prison sentence for the young girls' murder. Jessica Wells took birth on 1 September 1991. [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. [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. The couple married at Grimsby Register Office on 28 January 1995. This admissionin which Huntley also confessed to having a sexual interest in children while insisting the murders of Wells and Chapman had not been sexually motivatedwas welcomed by the victim of this sexual assault. Investigators located and seized this vehicle from a caravan park in Wentworth on 7 August; this lead also proved fruitless. The parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman have long been commended for their dignity and grace during what can only be described as unimaginable heartbreak. The inspiration for dedicating a flower to the children's memory came from a poem read aloud at the memorial service at Ely Cathedral on 30 August 2002 by the father of Wells, titled Soham's Rose. Locals would rally around the families of the girls and dedicate hours of their time searching for them . (This suspension was later overturned.) [139] In the bathroom, he had slipped and accidentally knocked Wells into his bath while helping her stanch her nosebleed, and this unintentional act had caused her to drown as he "panicked and froze". [50], In July 1998, police were notified that Huntley had sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl in September 1997, having also threatened to kill the child if she informed her mother. 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 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. These disclosures revealed that not only had police failed to pursue numerous previous criminal complaints of sexual offences against underage girls and young women by Huntley, but he had then secured a job in Soham allowing him access to children. Holly Marie Wells and her Best Friend Jessica Aimee Chapman went Missing on 4th August 2002 as they were walking along a Street in Soham, England. [100], In February 2002, Huntley found Carr a part-time job at St Andrew's Primary School, although she lied about her academic qualifications when applying for this position. By Donna Bowater 24 July 2012 7:00am. Between 1992 and 2002, he had committed many acts of physical and sexual violence against women and children for which he had been unpunished. Jessica Wells, Wiki, Biography, Age. In reference to the evident extensive cleaning of the house's interior, Huntley stated: "Excuse the dining room. [188] She performed poorly academically, but always aspired to become a teacher. The documentary was about Holly's parents after 10 years and Jessica's were not involved, therefore I did not expect much to be said about her. His girlfriend, Maxine Ann Carrthe girls' teaching assistanthad knowingly provided Huntley with a false alibi. That involved at all costs protecting Ian Huntley. The families of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells have laid the girls to rest at small private funerals almost a month after the 10-year-old best friends went missing. [174] Furthermore, both Huntley and Carr are known to have conducted affairs throughout their relationship. [191] By the age of 15, Capp weighed more than 10 stones (63 kg), resulting in her being bullied by her classmates. 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. Capp obtained her diploma in 1996. . We do chat about her quite regularly, which I think is a very nice thing. Holly's parents, Nicola and Kevin Wells, think the girls are . The last piece of footage of Wells and Chapman depicts the children walking onto a car park on the grounds of Soham Village College. Both girls had been missing for thirteen days when their bodies were found, and their corpses were in an advanced state of decomposition. August 4th, 2002: Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, wearing red Manchester United shirts, go missing from their homes in Soham, Cambridgeshire, eastern England, after last being seen at a family . Pro Tools Operator JOHN PRESTAGE. [54], Police were suspicious of Huntley's account.

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