[123] He was transferred to a segregation unit at Woodhill prison in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. They have two children together, and Oliver regularly speaks about his sister to keep her memory alive. 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. Speaking previously to the Radio Times, Oliver admitted that he thinks about his sister often. These findings ultimately led to the tightening of various procedures within the Criminal Records Bureau system, including compulsory checks into potential criminal backgrounds of people who apply to work with children.[243]. Within a month, Huntley had begun to regularly sexually assault his wife, also subjecting her to indignities such as locking her in their house and cutting off her hair. [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. Via his father, Huntley learned of a school caretaker vacancy in nearby Soham Village College in mid-2001. At this hearing, Carr was informed by Principal Crown Prosecutor Marion Bastin this charge carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Although Mr Huntley made clear attempts to appear insane, I have no doubt that the man currently, and at the time of the murders, was both physically and mentally sound and therefore, if he is found guilty, carried out the murders totally aware of his actions. [15], Within days of Huntley's formal sentencing, he reflected to the media on the prospect of spending the remainder of his life behind bars and of his fears for his security, exclaiming: "I'm going to rot inside this place. He was also forbidden from initiating contact with his baby daughter or her mother. [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. [71], The funeral services for Wells and Chapman were held on consecutive days in September 2002. After the kidnapping, both girls were killed. Several of Carr's former partners would later inform reporters they found her to be an. I was the last person to see them!" [42], Shortly after the children's disappearance, Staffordshire Police contacted the investigating officers to report their suspicions the girls could have been abducted by the same man responsible for an abduction in their jurisdiction the previous year, in which a six-year-old girl had survived an indecent assault by an abductor who was still at large and whose green Ford Mondeo had number plates which had earlier been stolen in Peterborough. "[55][n 5] This officer was unconvinced by Huntley's claims and suspicious of his agitated demeanour; Huntley remained a strong suspect. 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. FRIENDS Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing in August 2002 and their bodies were not found until more than a week later. Chapman was described as being tanned, with shoulder-length, brown hair; Wells was described as being fair, with blonde hair. [53], In July 2002, Carr applied for a vacant full-time teaching assistant position at St Andrew's Primary School. The reason for this decision had been that both bodies were too extensively decomposed and damaged by fire to enable a conclusive determination of either the actual cause of death or if either girl had been subjected to a sexual assault. The Wells family still live in Soham, the village where Holly was killed. Chaired by Sir Michael Bichard, the Bichard inquiry opened on 13 January 2004. 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 . Their son Oliver and his partner Lydia Chambers had welcomed a baby called Ethan and were expecting their second child later that summer. OLIVER KOUMBAS JOANNE LEES TAMZIN LILLYWHITE JADE LITTLE . On August 17 2002, residents flocked to St Andrew's church to await . [6] He stressed that the cause of death was murder, adding: "Ten-year-old girls don't just drop dead. [197] She later legally changed her surname to Carr in an apparent effort to distance herself from her father. Alarmed, she and her husband, Kevin, searched the house and nearby streets. William and Kate worried Prince George will be overwhelmed at King Charles coronation, Beyond Paradise fans turns emotional at Ruth Madocs final on-screen appearance. Byline: Eileen Taylor THEY seem almost like family now, blonde Holly Wells and brown-haired Jessica Chapman. She preferred to do what she could to make the best of the position she was in. There is no greater task for the criminal justice system than to protect the vulnerable. He also told Good Morning Britain in 2015: We still think of Holly every day. [170], In March 1996, Huntley was charged with burglary. Produced In Association With Silver Screen Partners III and MTM Enterprises, Inc. "The Roger Rabbit's Little OddParents". [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. Others said that, contrary to her televised claims, Carr had been socialising in Grimsby town centre on the night of the girls' disappearance, and was not at home in Soham as she had claimed to the media. Shortly before the two returned to College Close,[58] a neighbour of Carr's mother named Marion Clift saw the couple standing at the rear of the vehicle, with the boot open. It was startling to see the previous fiance of Ian Huntley grinning in an outdated interview movie as she mentioned the victims, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, with a BBC reporter. It is believed that Cambridgeshire Police failed to perform a background check under the name Huntley. [154], Minutes after the convictions, the parents of both girls granted an interview to the media. 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. The girls had been at a Wells family barbecue before sneaking out to buy sweets . Each refused to file criminal complaints or accept help from social services. "[109] According to Carr, Huntley then informed her the children had entered their home in order that Wells could stanch her nosebleed. 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. It was the 4th of August 2002. [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! Coronation Street: Killer twist for rapist Aaron when Tracy finds out? [69] In an apparent effort to destroy forensic evidence, the murderer or murderers had attempted to burn both bodies. In 2002, this quiet community would be rocked by the disappearance of two 10-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Holly Wells, born on September 1, 1991, in Soham, Cambridgeshire, was brutally murdered along with her best friend, Jessica Chapman. The two photogenic 10-year-olds were the very model of typical children growing up in a "safe", quiet, English town. 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. In an attempt to emotionally blackmail his wife into remaining with him, Huntley alternately feigned an illness and, later, began drooling before faking an epileptic seizure; neither ploy succeeded. The murder took its toll on their marriage for a while, the pair have admitted. We will never forget Holly but life does move on it has to. 10 year old Jessica Chapman called over to see her friend Holly Wells. Local Search Options. [160], Huntley was a timid child, and something of a mother's boy. [30] Police also investigated the possibility that the girls had arranged to meet someone they had contacted via an internet chat room, but this was soon ruled out. Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were best friends. The girls had been playing together at . 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. It was not until 8 p.m. that Holly's parents found out she was missing. Where is Joseph Fritzl now? [189], By the time Capp entered adolescence, she was slightly overweight, leading her to become insecure about her physical appearance. What happened to Elisabeth and her children? In 2002, two 10-year-old girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were at a barbecue at the Wells' home located in Soham, United Kingdom. A new Channel 5 documentary Soham: The Murder of Holly & Jessica dives into what happened immediately after their parents declared them missing, and how they achieved justice when Huntley was sentenced to two life sentences. Shortly thereafter, Huntley obtained employment as a barman in a local pub. "[143], Questioned about the efforts she had made to mislead both police and the media to divert suspicion from her partner, Carr emphasised she had only lied to police, the media and "anyone who asks" to protect Huntley, who had repeatedly assured her of his innocence of any wrongdoing and his fear of being "fitted up"[144] by police for the girls' disappearance should they discover the 1998 rape allegation made against him. School caretaker Ian Huntley is currently serving a prison sentence for the young girls' murder. [92], On 3 December, Carr went into the witness box to testify in her own defence. I just said she weren't very good as she hadn't got the job and they just says please tell her that we're very sorry and off they walked; in the direction of the library over there. Both the Humberside and Cambridgeshire Police were heavily criticised for their failings in maintaining criminal intelligence records on Huntley. [226] She was given a secret identity to protect her from threats of attack from vengeful members of the public[227] in addition to being provided with a new home in an undisclosed location. Huntley would later inform investigators he had taped bin liners around his feet prior to carrying the children's bodies from his vehicle to the irrigation ditch. While Kevin and Nicola have remained together since the unimaginable death of their daughter, they struggled for quite some time. [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. Huntley was later transferred to London's Belmarsh prison. [153] The results of this inquiry were published that June.[237]. [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. Today I accept there was nothing more or different as a parent I could have done to change the outcome, Kevin said at the time. 2002 double homicide in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England, Chapman (left) and Wells (right), summer 2002, 20 August 2002 booking photograph of Carr. [69] However, prior to his trial, a criminal profile had resulted in his being ruled by an eminent criminal psychologist as a "latent, predatory paedophile"[175] who had lured Wells and Chapman into his home in a moment of opportunism. 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). From the moment Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman are discovered missing (4th August 2002) every heart rending . [14], The prosecution contended at Huntley's trial that a likely sexual motive existed for the murders. [14] In any event, the cause of death of both girls was later ruled to be asphyxiation. Ian was sentenced to life sentences. [39][n 3] The community held a candlelight vigil on 7 August. [118] Carr only severed contact with Huntley in December 2002. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of imprisonment to be imposed by the Lord Chief Justice at a later date. Then we could have stopped them, or done something about it. While townsfolk are determined to remember Holly and Jessica, acts of remembrance in Soham are expected to be low-profile. Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both 10, were killed by Huntley after they went missing following a BBQ in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on 4 August 2002. [159] The Huntley family were working class and at the time of the birth of their first child, lodged with Lynda's parents in Grimsby. Kevin and Nichola Wells and Les and Sharon Chapman , parents of murdered Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman arrive for the first day. Responding to questioning from her defence counsel, Michael Hubbard QC, Carr briefly discussed her initial acquaintance with Huntley, their subsequent relationship and plans to start a family once they both obtained financial stability before Hubbard directed his questioning toward her return to Soham on 6 August and her discovering Huntley had recently washed their bedding and had evidently cleaned sections of the house. 17 December 2003[151], Following the conclusion of both counsels' closing arguments, Mr Justice Moses announced the jury would begin their deliberations on 12 December. THE shocking hidden truth about the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman is revealed by the News of the World in a sensational taped dossier. Half burned remains of clothes were found in a garbage bin The Way out Evidence found the girls' partially burned bodies in a six-foot-deep ditch found a type of weed that only grows after a plants have been disturbed Pollen samples were taken from where the girls bodies were [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. According to Huntley, he, Wells and Chapman had entered his bathroom to stem a mild nosebleed Wells had been suffering when the girls had walked by his home. ", "Jessica and Holly Doted on Maxine Carr, Says Teacher", "Police Piece Together Last Sightings of Girls", "Poor Intelligence, Poor Data System and Poor Media Strategy: Police Own Up to Failures", "Huntley's Question to Police: 'Am I a Suspect? In this instance, a woman was raped and Huntleyby this stage suspected by police as being a serial sex offenderwas interviewed. [110] She had therefore later agreed to concoct a false story with her partner to support his version of events. In an effort to lose weight, she developed a habit of forcing herself to vomit after eating. "[211], By mid-2002, the physical relationship between Huntley and Carr had begun to deteriorate. He said it helped the family with their loss. According to Clift, a "pale, shaking"[59] Huntley gazed into the boot for several moments, while Carr stood alongside him, her head bowed, weeping. 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. In 1996, two boys of similar age, Patrick Warren and David Spencer, went missing from their homes. [14] Although reported to police on three occasions, Huntley was not charged for any of these offences as each of the girls denied having engaged in sex with Huntley. He applied for and secured employment as a senior caretaker at this secondary school in September 2001, supervising the work of four other employees. Three of them were aged 15, and one 13. His erratic behaviour and apparent distress led to him being prescribed anti-depressants on 13 August. 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. Following their separation, Huntley had distanced himself from his father for several years. [24] Weeping, Huntley admitted responsibility for both deaths, but repeated his insistence that both deaths had been accidental. Kevin and Nicola never sold the property, though, and plan on moving back. [192], In February 1999, Huntley met 22-year-old Maxine Carr in a Grimsby nightclub. Wells and Chapman became two of the pupils she taught,[17] and both girls were fond of her. Holly's parents, Nicola and Kevin Wells, think the girls are . "[214], In the years since his incarceration, Huntley has been repeatedly attacked by other inmates. The costs of imposing this order have been reported by differing tabloid newspapers as being between 1million and 50million. On 14 September 2005, while an inmate at HM Prison Wakefield, he was scalded with boiling water by convicted spree killer Mark Hobson. 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. [235], Immediately after Huntley's conviction, previous criminal allegations against him were made public. Sign in to watch. The best friends, who were both just ten years old, were attending a barbeque . [147], Referencing Huntley's likely motive for the murders and his claims at trial that both deaths had been accidental, Latham stated: "We invite you to reject the accounts of both deaths [being accidental] as desperate lies; the only way out for him. [191] By the age of 15, Capp weighed more than 10 stones (63 kg), resulting in her being bullied by her classmates. Shortly thereafter, she briefly worked as a junior care assistant at a care home for the elderly in Grimsby, then returned to work alongside her mother as a labourer at Bluecrest fish processing plant. [193], Several of Capp's colleagues later remarked how they found her to be a distant and immature figure with few friends or hobbies. [84] At the request of both families, the media refrained from reporting on either service. On hearing this, Carr slumped forward. (This was the only instance when a victim of Huntley had not identified or named him as being her assailant. Two decades ago, 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered by their school caretaker Ian Huntley. The two-part show will cover the events both leading up to and . 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. Score Editors CHRIS BARRETT ADAM MILLER . Thank you! [156] In setting this minimum term of imprisonment, Mr Justice Moses stated: "The order I make offers little or no hope of the defendant's eventual release. We slept on it for a long . [3] She received a three-and-a-half year prison sentence for conspiring with Huntley to pervert the course of justice. We had a flood. It remains one of the most . Huntley supplied a DNA sample to assist in their enquiries, with Carr also providing an alibi to support his claims of innocence. )[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. And soccer star David . Following the birth of their second child, Wayne, in August 1975, the family moved into a rented property in Immingham, where Huntley attended school. On June 16, 2003, Ian Huntly pleaded not guilty to the formal charges accusing him of murdering Holly and Jessica . [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. . 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 . [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. Its strange being three of us, when there used to be a fourth.. Soham is a small town and civil parish located in the east of the university city Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. He eventually started his new job months later. [27] The parents of both girls stated that their daughters had been wary of talking with strangers, having been warned not to trust people they did not know from early childhood. Leslie, meanwhile, was due to start work at a new engineering job on Monday August 5 the day after his daughter and her friend went missing. [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. [169] Shortly after their separation, Huntley's wife formed a relationship with and later married Huntley's younger brother, Wayne. THE bodies of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were found in a "severely decomposed and skeletonised" state at the bottom of a ditch in a remote area of woodland, the inquest into their deaths . Staff and agencies. Holly Marie Wells (October 4, 1991 - August 4, 2002) was a 10-year-old British girl from Soham, England. Nicola and Kevin Wells are the parents of Holly, who was murdered along with her best friend on August 4 2002. [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. [158], Ian Kevin Huntley was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, on 31 January 1974, the first of two sons born to Kevin Huntley and his wife, Lynda (ne Nixon). Ian Huntley's account of Holly drowning after falling into his bath . [238], Bichard later ordered the suspension of the Chief of Humberside Police, David Westwood, for ordering the destruction of records pertaining to alleged child molesters which had not resulted in a conviction. Section of Mr Justice Alan Moses' sentencing of Ian Huntley. That involved at all costs protecting Ian Huntley. [5][6], At 11:45a.m. on Sunday, 4 August 2002, Jessica Chapman left her home in Brook Street, Soham, to attend a barbecue at the home of her best friend, Holly Wells, in nearby Redhouse Gardens. 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. Where do Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton live? [163] Huntley also enjoyed football, and was an avid supporter of Manchester United.