[2], Huntley was convicted of the murder of both girls on 17 December 2003 and sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment, with the High Court later imposing a minimum term of 40 years. [162] The bullying Huntley endured escalated when he entered Healing Comprehensive School aged 11, resulting in his academic performance waning. This is also where Maxine Carr worked in Holly and Jessicas class. It is believed that Cambridgeshire Police failed to perform a background check under the name Huntley. [17], Prosecutors at Huntley's trial contended he had lured the children into his house with a likely sexual motivation, but investigators found no evidence of premeditation in relation to the murders. He said it helped the family with their loss. 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. She briefly worked alongside her mother in a fish processing plant as she considered which career path she should choose before enrolling at the Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education, having chosen to study general care. That involved at all costs protecting Ian Huntley. The parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman will probably never know how their daughters died. [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. Both were arrested on suspicion of abduction and murder at 4:30a.m. on 17 August. Investigators located and seized this vehicle from a caravan park in Wentworth on 7 August; this lead also proved fruitless. On 14 September 2005, while an inmate at HM Prison Wakefield, he was scalded with boiling water by convicted spree killer Mark Hobson. THE community of Soham was left heartbroken when the bodies of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were discovered in 2002. The family regularly experienced financial difficulties, but Shirley would later state she "spoiled" her daughters to the best of her financial ability. [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. Their daughters best friends who were just 10 years old were murdered by Ian Huntley after he lured them back to his house in August 2002. [61] In this live interview, Carr corroborated Huntley's claims to have conversed with the children on their doorstep as she had been bathing before both girls had walked away from their doorstep, adding: "I only wish we had asked them where they were going if only we knew then what we know now. [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. [179] At the September 2005 hearing in which the minimum term Huntley should serve before any parole eligibility was decided, Mr Justice Moses stated: "There is a likelihood of [a] sexual motivation, but there was no evidence of sexual activity, and it remains no more than a likelihood. Huntley's parents enrolled their son in Immingham Comprehensive at age 13. She was jailed for giving Huntley a false alibi after he killed 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. To download all election summary data click here. [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. For the first time since the horror that shocked the nation four years ago, twisted Ian Huntley has confessed that he THROTTLED screaming Jessica as she tried to phone . He can't have been! Her age was 10 years at the time of her tragic death. Byline: Eileen Taylor THEY seem almost like family now, blonde Holly Wells and brown-haired Jessica Chapman. We will never forget Holly but life does move on it has to. After the kidnapping, both girls were killed. Holly and Jessica had been playing together at a . . As for Hollys younger brother Oliver, who was six-years-old at the time of her murder, hes gone on to have a family of his own with his partner Lydia. G+. [46] Police also received statements regarding a suspicious white van that had been seen in Soham on the evening of the children's disappearance. "[28], Suspecting the children had been kidnapped, investigators questioned every registered sex offender in Cambridgeshire and neighbouring Lincolnshire. Today, August 4, marks 20 years since schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets. Episode 2. [164], Despite having few friends, Huntley formed several relationships with girls while attending Immingham Comprehensive. Sat 21 Sep 2002 at 16:00. The killers girlfriend, Maxine Carr, who was the girls teaching assistant, was jailed for giving him a false alibi. [160], Huntley was a timid child, and something of a mother's boy. 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. [170], In March 1996, Huntley was charged with burglary. Holly Wells, left, and Jessica Chapman were just 10 years old when they were murdered in 2002. Credit: Photo: BRIAN SMITH. [174], In April 1998, Huntley was arrested on suspicion of raping an 18-year-old woman. . [69], Carr was also interviewed by the press during the second week of the search for the children. "[214], In the years since his incarceration, Huntley has been repeatedly attacked by other inmates. [38], Maxine Carr was born Maxine Ann Capp. Three of them were aged 15, and one 13. Between 1990 and 1996, Huntley worked in a succession of menial jobs, but seldom held any job for long. [171] This complainant stated Huntley had threatened to kill her before assaulting her. I'm going to be inside forever, and it'll be torture. She wasnt and Huntley has since admitted murdering the girls. [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). It was one, almost two years before we found each other again, but grief gives you a different sense of the passage of time and it slipped by unnoticed.. Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us what you think of our story. [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. Kevin previously told an ITV documentary that the stress almost led to the break-up of their marriage. They then returned to playing in Wells' bedroom at about 6:10p.m.[6][8], Around 6:15p.m., the two girls left the Wells residence without informing any of the house guests, to purchase sweets from a vending machine at the local sports centre. [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. [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. Nicola and Kevin Wells are the parents of Holly, who was murdered along with her best friend on August 4 2002. [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. The Wells family had moved out of the house they raised Holly and her younger brother Oliver in, as the memories were too painful. [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. Available Until: 05 September 2026. The Bichard Inquiry Report of 2004 was commissioned by the government following the conviction of Ian Huntley for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2003. While Kevin and Nicola have remained together since the unimaginable death of their daughter, they struggled for quite some time. [123] He was transferred to a segregation unit at Woodhill prison in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. A Tim Burton Film. 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). Holly was buried yesterday after a service at St Andrew's Church in Soham, Cambridgeshire.Sep 4, 2002 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. 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. Where is Joseph Fritzl now? [197] She later legally changed her surname to Carr in an apparent effort to distance herself from her father. [183] Huntley severely restricted and supervised any contact she held with her family or social acquaintances. I was the last person to see them!" There's no trace of the building which once stood there, nor a memorial to the two young girls murdered inside. Submitted Comments (Click here for meetings with SEC officials) Comments have been received from individuals and entities using the following Letter Type A: 31 B: 24 C: 6,254 D: 5 [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. 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. Huntley was given two life sentences by the judge. Best friends Holly and Jessica were just 10 years . 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. Police officers and members of the local . Are you looking for real estate agents or brokers? [54], Police were suspicious of Huntley's account. Two decades ago, 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered by their school caretaker Ian Huntley. [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. Jessica had just returned from a family holiday and wanted to catch up with her friend and give her a gift that she bought for her. 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. Although Huntley was vetted for the post, including police checks, this failed to identify previous . Ian Huntley is found guilty of murdering both Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. [231][232][233][234], Shortly after her release from prison, Carr and her family contacted a Tyneside-based publishing company with view to publishing her autobiography. [71], The funeral services for Wells and Chapman were held on consecutive days in September 2002. [14] Pathological evidence retrieved from the bodies indicating at least one of the girls had been subjected to a sexual assault either before or after her murder was not disclosed to the jury at Huntley's trial. [113] Carr was also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice on this date. [240], An added complication in these criminal vetting procedures was the fact that Huntley had applied for the caretaker's job under the name of Ian Nixon, although he divulged on the application form for this position that he was previously known as Ian Huntley. 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. More than 400 officers worked around the clock to find the girls, along with hundreds of locals who volunteered to help and appealed to . 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. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of imprisonment to be imposed by the Lord Chief Justice at a later date. 10 year old Jessica Chapman called over to see her friend Holly Wells. I wish I could see her now, see what shed have looked like, he said. Summary information is updated to reflect amendments since the report was initially filed. The parents of murdered Soham girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman have been visited by police investigating phone-hacking by journalists. He would only resume using his father's surname following the 2002 reconciliation of his parents. 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. [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. The victim of this assault later said that Huntley had not been the perpetrator of her assault. Minutes after their daughter's 8:30p.m. curfew had expired, Nicola Wells phoned the Chapman residence to ask if the girls were there, only to learn Leslie and Sharon Chapman were worried that their youngest daughter had not returned home. C ya around school! [186], As a child and adolescent, Capp was viewed by her peers as a timid outcast, with few friends. [203] He soon found new employment at a finance company in Binbrook while Carr maintained her employment packing fish at a local fish processing factory. Music Composed and Conducted by: David Newman. [114][n 11] She was further charged with two counts of assisting an offender on 17 January 2003. 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 . "[17] Huntley did not reply to this message. "[69][n 8], By the second week of the children's disappearance, Huntley had begun to lose weight and was displaying visible symptoms of insomnia. [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? Nicola and Kevin have spoken often about their loss and how they tried to move on with their lives for the sake of Hollys brother Oliver. Performed by Frankie Goes to . Ian Huntley worked as a caretaker at the school both girls attended. Howard Gilbert, then-headteacher of Soham Village Collegehaving admitted the college's failure to check Huntley's references prior to offering him employmentlater said that he would not have employed Huntley if he had been aware of the burglary charge, as one of Huntley's key responsibilities was to ensure security in the school grounds. [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. ", "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? There is no greater task for the criminal justice system than to protect the vulnerable. 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 The injuries Huntley received in this attack required hospital treatment. [12] Huntley evidently lured the girls into his house, stating that his girlfriend, Maxine Carrthe girls' teaching assistant at St Andrew's Primary Schoolwas also in the house; she was in fact visiting her mother in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. [57], On 6 August, Huntley drove from Soham to Grimsby to pick up Carr. He hasn't done it! It was a job she returned to in the years following her daughters murder. [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. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Via this hobby, he became familiar with the environs of RAF Lakenheath. [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. Sharon and Leslie have kept their grief largely private. 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. [80] He was charged with these offences while detained for observation at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire, and all preliminary hearings against him were postponed until the conclusion of his mental health assessment. Read more: Heartbreak of Ian Huntleys daughter as father shows no remorse for Holly and Jessicas murder. Coronation Street: Killer twist for rapist Aaron when Tracy finds out? . In August 2002, Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells attended a family barbecue at Holly's house and after the barbecue they left Holly's home at around 6.15pm to buy sweets from the vending machine at . [53], In July 2002, Carr applied for a vacant full-time teaching assistant position at St Andrew's Primary School. His girlfriend, Maxine Ann Carrthe girls' teaching assistanthad knowingly provided Huntley with a false alibi. 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. Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr are taken in to help police with their enquiries, Two decades on, where are their parents now, and how have they moved on from the awful tragedy? Kevin and Nicola never sold the property, though, and plan on moving back. [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. THE community of Soham was left heartbroken when the bodies of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were discovered in 2002. The Soham murders were a double child murder committed in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England on 4 August 2002. Section of Mr Justice Alan Moses' sentencing of Ian Huntley. [82], In his opening statement on behalf of the Crown, prosecutor Richard Latham QC described the last day of the friends' lives and how, by "pure chance", they had happened to pass by Huntley's home at a time when Carr was not present. He admitted engaging in sex with the claimant, but claimed the act had been consensual. In 2015 it was reported that Nicola and Kevin had moved back into the home that held so many precious memories of their beloved daughter. I get the impression that the Chapman's do not want any publicity at all rather than there being any hostility. On 4th August 2002, 10-year-old school friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were enjoying a . The jury accepted her insistence that she had only lied to the police and media in order to protect Huntley because, prior to their arrest, she had believed his claims of innocence. Chris Young - PA Images/PA Images/Getty Images, schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered. Following the birth of their second child, Wayne, in August 1975, the family moved into a rented property in Immingham, where Huntley attended school. [187], The marriage between Capp's parents was marred by frequent arguments. [174] Furthermore, both Huntley and Carr are known to have conducted affairs throughout their relationship. The 10-year-old friends left the gathering to buy sweets in Soham . Almost two weeks after Holly and Jessica went missing, their bodies were found - dumped in a ditch and badly burned. 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 . After two months of courtship,[163] Huntley proposed to Evans. By Donna Bowater 24 July 2012 7:00am. [31], On 8 August,[32] CCTV footage of the girls, recorded minutes before their disappearance, was released to the public. Two girls go missing in August of 2002, leaving their community reeling. A taxi driver stated he had seen him "thrashing his arms" as he struggled with two young girls inside his vehicle as he drove on the A142 south of Soham towards Newmarket around the time that the girls were last seen. There are few worse crimes than your murder of these two young girls. The two-part show will cover the events both leading up to and . I've just watched the programme. Here is a timetable of the main events in the search for missing 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. ', "Huntley's Question to Police: Am I a Suspect? [221] This resulted in his hospitalisation and a thorough search of his cell, in which a cassette tape was recovered. [73] Numerous hairs later determined to belong to Chapman were discovered on a tree branch close to the location of the girls' bodies. Episode 1. [70][71] No clear footprints were discovered at the crime scene. Kevin and Nichola Wells and Les and Sharon Chapman , parents of murdered Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman arrive for the first day. 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. Ian was sentenced to life sentences. [110] She had therefore later agreed to concoct a false story with her partner to support his version of events. )[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. [68] Staff and agencies. Shortly thereafter, she and her daughters moved to the village of Keelby. The girls had been playing together at . 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. Their son Oliver and his partner Lydia Chambers had welcomed a baby called Ethan and were expecting their second child later that summer. [193], Several of Capp's colleagues later remarked how they found her to be a distant and immature figure with few friends or hobbies. Huntley admitted having sex with this woman, but insisted the act had been consensual. "[82] In reference to Carr's attempts to pervert the course of justice, Latham stated that "as surely as night follows day" the two had conspired to concoct a false alibi to divert suspicion from Huntley,[82] but warned the jury Carr could only be convicted of assisting an offender if they believed she had known Huntley had murdered the girls, adding that her motive for providing lies to police with reference to the charge of perverting the course of justice was irrelevant. Holly Wells, born on September 1, 1991, in Soham, Cambridgeshire, was brutally murdered along with her best friend, Jessica Chapman. And soccer star David . Huntley's precise motivation for voluntarily informing police of his encountering the children outside his home is unknown; it is speculated he chose to do so out of concerns. [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. Pervert alert at primary school. He was reportedly awarded 2,500 in legal aid to pursue this claim. 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. [208] The site where 5 College Close once stood is now a vacant patch of grass. (This suspension was later overturned.) [37] Other family members and friends of both girls also appealed via the media for the safe return of the children. She lost her life at the hands of Ian Kevin Huntley when she was 10 years old. 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. 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. His erratic behaviour and apparent distress led to him being prescribed anti-depressants on 13 August. 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. [135] Davey testified she had found minute traces of blood and saliva on these objects, but no positive traces of semen.