Note: Varies by jurisdiction
83-664: 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 Amiee Chapman, who were lured into the home of a local resident and school caretaker, Ian Kevin Huntley, who subsequently murdered them – likely via asphyxiation – and disposed of their bodies in an irrigation ditch close to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. The bodies were discovered on 17 August 2002. Huntley
166-566: A nervous breakdown . She had therefore later agreed to concoct a false story with her partner to support his version of events. After being informed of the discovery of the children's bodies and the evidence of Huntley's guilt, including his fingerprints being recovered from the bin in which the children's clothes had been found, Carr burst into tears, shouting: "No! He can't have been! It can't have been! He hasn't done it!" Despite these revelations, Carr initially remained emotionally attached to Huntley and professed her belief in his innocence to both
249-405: A press statement to the media confirming the discovery of the children's bodies, adding that both families had been informed of the developments and that although positive formal identification would take several days, investigators were as "certain as [they] possibly could be" the bodies were those of Wells and Chapman. On 21 August, both bodies were identified via DNA testing . Nine days later,
332-455: A "lemony" cleaning fluid, but the search of the home revealed many items of "major importance" to the investigation. 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. Fibres recovered from these garments were
415-442: A bit of a mess ... they just came across and asked how [Maxine] was ... 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. Ian Huntley, interviewed by Sky News correspondent Jeremy Thompson . 15 August 2002 At about 12:30 p.m. on 17 August, a 48-year-old gamekeeper named Keith Pryer discovered
498-416: A dress for such an occasion. 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. Referring to Wells in the past tense , Carr stated, "She was just lovely, really lovely", before making a direct appeal to the children: "Just get on the phone and just come home. Or if somebody's got them, just let them go." By the second week of
581-429: A location or provide propaganda. This is sometimes referred to as child sacrifice, though not equivalent to the religious variety. It may also refer to the use of children as child soldiers or saboteurs. Red Hand Day on February 12 is an annual commemoration day to draw public attention to the practice of using children as soldiers in wars and armed conflicts. Medicine murder (often referred to as muti killing )
664-480: A mental hospital to undergo an extensive psychological evaluation . 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!" According to Carr, Huntley then informed her
747-408: A muti killing. Cambridgeshire Constabulary Cambridgeshire Constabulary is the local territorial police force that covers the county of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough unitary authority. It provides law enforcement and security for an area of 1,311 square miles (3,400 km ) and population of 856,000 people, in a predominantly rural county. The force of Cambridgeshire includes
830-478: A partially tarmacked road, Pryer and one of his companions, Adrian Lawrence, discovered the children's bodies. Lawrence turned to his girlfriend, Helen Sawyer, and shouted: "Don't come any closer, Helen! Get back in the van!" Lawrence immediately reported the discoveries to police. The girls had been missing for thirteen days when their bodies were found, and their corpses were in an advanced state of decomposition . In an apparent effort to destroy forensic evidence ,
913-408: A precise match to samples retrieved from Huntley's body and clothing, as well as from 5 College Close. His fingerprints were recovered from the bin. Huntley's Ford Fiesta was also forensically examined on 16 August. 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
SECTION 10
#1732787796049996-452: A public memorial service was held at Ely Cathedral for the girls. About 2,000 people attended, including the girls' classmates, teachers and the six family liaison officers who had provided 24-hour support for both families. 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? Today's service
1079-411: A recent family holiday to Menorca . The two girls and their friend Natalie Parr played computer games and listened to music for about half an hour before Parr returned home. By 3:15 p.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. At 5:04 p.m., Wells' mother took a photograph of
1162-460: A safe house in the village of Histon . 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. Others said that, contrary to her televised claims, Carr had been socialising in Grimsby town centre on the night of the girls' disappearance, and
1245-537: Is Nick Dean. The force is overseen by the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). The origins of Cambridgeshire Constabulary date back to 1836, when the first police force within what are now the current boundaries of the force area was set up in the city of Cambridge under the name Cambridge Borough Police . This was followed in 1841 by establishment of the Isle of Ely Constabulary, covering
1328-517: Is a practice of human sacrifice and mutilation associated with traditional medicinal practices, such as Muti (by whom?). Victims of muti killings are often children. Organs and/or body parts are usually taken while the child is still alive. An unknown child (referred to as Adam ), whose decapitated torso was found in the River Thames in London in 2002 is believed to have been the victim of
1411-484: 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." An online book of condolence attracted more than 31,000 messages of grief and sympathy and on 24 August, football clubs across Britain held a minute's silence before games. The inquest into the children's deaths was held at Shire Hall, Cambridge , on 23 August 2002. Coroner David Morris testified
1494-542: Is also collaboration on a seven-force function with the adjacent forces of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent with serious incident, counter terrorism and intelligence under the regional organised crime unit , the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU). Vehicle procurement is done in association with Thames Valley Police , British Transport Police and Civil Nuclear Constabulary as well as Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire under
1577-429: Is subdivided into two areas (also called divisions) and are known simply as North and South. Northern local policing headquartered at Thorpe Wood, covers the city of Peterborough and the district of Fenland . Southern local policing is headquartered at Parkside, and it covers the districts of Cambridge City , South Cambridgeshire , East Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire . Prior to 2012, Cambridgeshire Constabulary
1660-489: Is the homicide of an individual who is a minor . In many legal jurisdictions it is considered an aggravated form of homicide. The age of the victim may constitute an aggravated factor for homicide offenses, or child murder may be a stand-alone criminal offense. In 2008, there were 1,494 child homicides in the United States. Of those killed, 1,035 were male and 452 were female. In the United States, about half of
1743-513: Is the current Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire , Julie Spence OBE QPM, who was chief constable from 2005 to 2010. The constabulary headquarters is based in the Huntingdon suburb of Hinchingbrooke, which is home to the force executive board, information management and the force control room. The constabulary also works together with eleven police stations throughout the local policing area. They are: Cambridge (known simply as Parkside , after
SECTION 20
#17327877960491826-680: The Cabrini–Green public housing project for school, the Chicago Tribune put every child murder on the front page (generally no murders were front-page news). 62 child murders were reported that year. Multiple deaths in one incident, such as the 1999 Columbine High School massacre , 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the 1996 Dunblane massacre tend to gather the most media attention but are statistically scarce. The military use of children refers to children being placed in harm's way in military actions, in order to protect
1909-510: The Soham murders , an event that led to the biggest investigation in the history of Cambridgeshire police and one of the most expensive in the country, costing £3.5million. In March 2006, as part review on policing nationally the then Home Secretary Charles Clarke proposed the creation of an East Anglian force merging Cambridgeshire with Norfolk and Suffolk . While Norfolk and Cambridgeshire supported it, Suffolk would have preferred to have Eastern Coastal force with Norfolk and Essex . Essex on
1992-653: The shoots of nettles at the crime scene which enabled forensic ecologist and palynologist Patricia Wiltshire to estimate that the bodies had been placed at this location almost two weeks before. The funeral services for Wells and Chapman were held on consecutive days in September 2002. Both services were held at St Andrew's parish church and officiated by Tim Alban Jones, and the girls are buried in graves next to each other in Soham's Fordham Road Cemetery, following ceremonies attended by only family and close friends. At
2075-645: The Chiltern Transport Consortium. *Arnold had been acting chief constable since 1946 The Police Roll of Honour Trust and Police Memorial Trust list and commemorate all British police officers killed in the line of duty. Since its establishment in 1984, the Police Memorial Trust has erected 50 memorials nationally to some of those officers. The following officers of Cambridgeshire Constabulary were killed while they were on duty, or returning to / from duty: The head of
2158-460: The U.S. Department of Justice statistics for 1996, one in five murders of children were committed by other children. Several murders by children have gained prominent media exposure. One was the killing on 12 February 1993 of the 2-year-old boy James Bulger by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables who were both 10-years-old in Bootle , Merseyside , England . He was beaten and stoned before his dead body
2241-594: The United Kingdom carries a mandatory life sentence . In England and Wales, murder of a child involving sexual or sadistic conduct or abduction of the victim can result in a whole life order (i.e. life imprisonment without the possibility of parole) being imposed where the offender is at least 21 years old. Sentencing guidelines state that where the offender is under 21, the starting point is a minimum term of 30 years. In most countries, there are very few cases where children are killed by other children. According to
2324-736: The authority of the Isle of Ely Constabulary in 1889. In 1949, the two forces that covered the city of Peterborough; the Liberty of Peterborough Constabulary and the Peterborough City Police merged to form Peterborough Combined Police . Cambridge Borough Police was renamed Cambridge City Police in 1951. In 1965, all five forces that exist in the Cambridgeshire area (Cambridge City Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Isle of Ely Constabulary, Huntingdonshire Constabulary, and Peterborough Combined Police) amalgamated to form
2407-559: The bodies of both girls lying side by side in a 5-foot (1.5 m) deep irrigation ditch close to a pheasant pen near the perimeter fence of RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk , more than 10 miles (16 km) east of Soham. Pryer had noticed what he later described as an "unusual and unpleasant smell" in the area several days earlier; when returning to the area with two friends on 17 August, he had decided to investigate its cause. Walking through an overgrown verge about 600 yards (550 m) from
2490-471: The bodies of both girls were partially skeletonised , and that no precise cause of death could be determined for either of them. Morris stated that the most likely cause of death of both girls had been asphyxiation. He also stated that the girls had almost certainly not died at the location where their bodies had been discovered, and that both bodies had been placed there within 24 hours of their deaths. These conclusions were physically supported by an analysis of
2573-497: The children had been kidnapped , investigators questioned every registered sex offender in Cambridgeshire and neighbouring Lincolnshire. Over 260 registered sex offenders across the UK – including 15 high-risk paedophiles – were also questioned; all were eliminated from the investigation. Police also investigated the possibility that the girls had arranged to meet someone they had contacted via an internet chat room , but this
Soham murders - Misplaced Pages Continue
2656-400: The children had been abducted, and announced their strong suspicions that both girls had been murdered on this date. During initial questioning, Huntley refused to answer questions and appeared evasive, confused, and emotionally detached , occasionally drooling during police attempts to question him in an effort to feign mental illness . This left police with no option but to refer Huntley to
2739-528: The children had entered their home in order that Wells could stanch her nosebleed. 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. Referencing one of the 1998 rapes he had committed but had earlier claimed to her to have been falsely accused of in this phone call, Huntley then began voicing concerns as to again being falsely accused of involvement on this occasion, also claiming his previous arrest had caused him to suffer
2822-550: 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 . The person responsible for this abduction and assault
2905-466: The children's disappearance, Huntley had begun to lose weight and was displaying visible symptoms of insomnia . To one officer, he said: "You think I've done it? I was the last person to see them!" before beginning to weep. His erratic behaviour and apparent distress led to him being prescribed anti-depressants on 13 August. Having participated in the search for the children, Huntley regularly asked police officers questions such as how their investigation
2988-547: The children's disappearance. Investigators located and seized this vehicle from a caravan park in Wentworth on 7 August; this lead also proved fruitless. On 12 August, police launched an appeal to trace the driver of a four-door, dark green saloon car . 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
3071-471: The cities of Cambridge , Ely and Peterborough, the market towns of Chatteris , Huntingdon , March , Ramsey , St Ives , St Neots , Whittlesey , and town and Port of Wisbech . Its emblem is a crowned Brunswick star containing the heraldic badge of Cambridgeshire County Council. According to a government report in July 2018 on policing numbers, the force consists of 1,383 police officers (giving
3154-599: The city of Ely, as well as Chatteris and March. Cambridgeshire County Constabulary was formed in 1851 to police those rural parts of the county outside the jurisdiction of the Cambridge Borough Police. The boroughs of Huntingdonshire and Wisbech and city of Peterborough did not start their own police forces until 1857, under the County and Borough Police Act 1856 , which required each borough to have its own local police force. Wisbech Borough Police came under
3237-648: The constabulary is Chief Constable Nick Dean, a former assistant chief constable of Norfolk Constabulary who came into the role as chief constable in October 2018. His deputies are head of investigations Deputy Chief Constable Jane Gyford, formerly a commander of the City of London Police and head of operations Assistant Chief Constable Vicki Evans, previously the Assistant Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police . One notable former chief constable
3320-464: The county a ratio of 163 officers per 100,000 people), 111 police community support officers and 778 members of staff. Together with 229 special constables and 84 police support volunteers . It had a budget in for the year of 2018 of £134 million, of which £78.4 million (58.5%) came directly as an annual grant from the Home Office and the rest from local council taxes . The chief constable
3403-402: The couple standing at the rear of the vehicle, with the boot open. According to Clift, a "pale, shaking" Huntley gazed into the boot for several moments, while Carr stood alongside him, her head bowed, weeping. When Huntley became aware of Clift's presence, he abruptly closed the boot. I don't know the girls. I was stood on the front doorstep grooming my dog down. She'd run away and come back
Soham murders - Misplaced Pages Continue
3486-407: The evident extensive cleaning of the house's interior, Huntley said: "Excuse the dining room. We had a flood." This officer was unconvinced by Huntley's claims and suspicious of his agitated demeanour; Huntley remained a strong suspect. On 6 August, Huntley drove from Soham to Grimsby to pick up Carr. Shortly before the two returned to College Close, a neighbour of Carr's mother named Marion Clift saw
3569-582: The families to locate their daughters, Wells and Chapman were reported missing by their parents at 9:55 p.m. Police immediately launched an intensive search for the missing children. Over 400 officers were assigned full-time to search for the girls. These officers conducted extensive house-to-house enquiries across Soham; their efforts to search local terrain were supported by hundreds of local volunteers and, later, some United States Air Force personnel stationed at nearby airbases. To help their public appeals for information, Cambridgeshire Police released
3652-462: The girls immediately before their disappearance was 28-year-old Huntley, who informed investigators on 5 August he had had a brief conversation with both girls on his doorstep the previous afternoon. According to Huntley, Wells and Chapman – both "happy as Larry" – had briefly enquired as to whether his partner, Carr, had been successful in a recent application for a full-time teaching assistant position at their school. When he had replied Carr had not got
3735-478: The girls to say goodbye to her guests, only to discover both children missing. Alarmed, she and her husband, Kevin, searched the house and nearby streets. Minutes after their daughter's 8:30 p.m. curfew had expired, Nicola Wells phoned the Chapmans to ask if the girls were there, only to learn Leslie and Sharon Chapman were worried that their youngest daughter had not returned home. Following frantic efforts by
3818-410: The girls walking "arm in arm" along College Road approximately two minutes later. 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. Police also received statements regarding a suspicious white van that had been seen in Soham on the evening of
3901-523: The girls walking in the direction of a local library. Carr was also interviewed by the press during the second week of the search for the children. 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. Then we could have stopped them, or done something about it." Discussing
3984-519: The girls' bodies would be discovered were found around the wheel arches and on and around the pedals. A cover from the rear seat was missing, and the lining of the boot had been recently removed and replaced with an ill-fitting section of household carpet. Having discovered the children's clothes at Soham Village College, police decided to arrest Huntley and Carr. Both were arrested on suspicion of abduction and murder at 4:30 a.m. on 17 August. Investigators had stated on 7 August they strongly believed
4067-412: 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. Police were suspicious of Huntley's account. A single police officer searched his house on 5 August; no incriminating evidence was discovered, but the officer noticed items of clothing on the washing line despite the fact it had been raining. In reference to
4150-464: The local secondary school . Huntley evidently lured the girls into his house, saying his girlfriend, Maxine Carr – the girls' teaching assistant at St Andrew's Primary School – was in the house; she was in fact visiting her mother in Grimsby, Lincolnshire . The precise events after the girls entered 5 College Close are unknown, but investigators believe sections of Huntley's claims in interviews to
4233-640: The local authorities in the police area. His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) conducts a periodic police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) inspection of each police service's performance. In its latest PEEL inspection, Cambridgeshire Constabulary was rated as follows: In 2019, the constabulary was involved in the Channel 4 reality programme Famous and Fighting Crime where five personalities Penny Lancaster , Jamie Laing , Katie Piper , Sandi Bogle and Marcus Brigstocke acted as special constables for
SECTION 50
#17327877960494316-470: The media prior to his arrest, and in his later trial testimony – such as that he had been cleaning his dog at the time the girls passed by his house around 6:30 p.m., and that one girl had been suffering from a mild nosebleed – may have been true. The cause of death of both girls was later ruled to be asphyxiation. Chapman's Nokia 6110 mobile phone was switched off at 6:46 p.m. At 8:00 p.m., Nicola Wells entered her daughter's bedroom to invite
4399-478: The murderer or murderers had attempted to burn both bodies. No clear footprints were discovered at the crime scene. Despite this, investigators rapidly deduced who the two victims most likely were, and that they had not died where their bodies had been discovered. Numerous hairs later determined to belong to Chapman were discovered on a tree branch close to the location of the girls' bodies. The following day, Cambridgeshire Deputy Chief Constable Keith Hodder released
4482-553: The new Mid-Anglia Constabulary. The force was renamed Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 1974, when the new non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire was created by the Local Government Act 1972 with identical boundaries to the Mid-Anglia Constabulary area. In 2001 the constabulary conducted one of Peterborough's biggest police enquiries following the racist murder of teenager Ross Parker . 2002 saw
4565-631: The other hand wanted to stay alone. However, these proposes were scrapped after a cabinet reshuffle with John Reid as the new Home Secretary. Since 2010, the force has been collaborating with Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary to form a mid-Anglia "triforce" with various departments collaborating to make local efficiencies with resources. Areas that have been collaborated include Human Resources, Information Technology, Major Crime Unit, Dog Unit , Tactical Firearms Unit , Information Management Unit, Tickets and Collisions Office, Road Policing Unit , Scenes of Crime and Procurement. There
4648-433: The personalities of the girls, Carr described Wells as being the "more feminine " of the two, adding that Chapman was "more of a tomboy " and that on one occasion, she had jokingly remarked to Chapman how, unlike many of her friends, she seldom wore a skirt. To this question, Carr stated that the child had expressed her desire to be a bridesmaid at her own future wedding, adding that Chapman had said she would willingly wear
4731-413: The photograph Nicola Wells had taken of the children less than two hours before their disappearance depicting both girls wearing their Manchester United replica football shirts. A physical description of each girl was also released to the media, describing them as being white, about 4 ft 6 in (137 cm) tall, and slim. Chapman was described as being tanned, with shoulder-length, brown hair; Wells
4814-498: The police and her family. 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. 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. Carr
4897-459: The public reported having seen the children in the early days of the investigation. Mark Tuck informed investigators that as he had driven past the girls on Sand Street in Soham town centre at approximately 6:30 p.m. on 4 August, his attention had been drawn toward their Manchester United replica shirts, causing him to remark to his wife, Lucy: "Look! There's two little Beckhams over there." A young woman named Karen Greenwood also reported seeing
4980-405: The request of both families, the media refrained from reporting on either service. In the weeks following the disappearances, Huntley reluctantly 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. By
5063-462: The second week of the children's disappearance, Huntley had become an unofficial spokesman for the community of Soham. His explanation for this was that he wanted to convey to the media the frustration and despair the community was feeling. 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" the children would be found safe and well, and that he had last seen
SECTION 60
#17327877960495146-486: The states that maintain the death penalty have included child murder to their list of aggravating factors that may make a murder punishable by death. The victim's age under which the crime is a capital crime varies between states. The ages are set between 10 and 17, with 12 being the most common age. Child manslaughter can result in an aggravated charge in some jurisdictions such as the State of Florida . Any murder in
5229-407: The street it is based on), Histon , Sawston , Ely, Cambourne , St Ives, Huntingdon town, St Neots, March, Wisbech, Hampton and Peterborough (known as Thorpe Wood , after the local nature park). It has a local police training facility in the parish of Abbots Ripton , near Alconbury (known as Monks Wood , after the local national nature reserve ). In local policing management, the force area
5312-562: The thirteen days of their disappearance has been described as one of the most intense and extensive in British criminal history. At 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, 4 August 2002, Jessica Chapman left her home in Brook Street, Soham, for a barbecue at the home of her best friend, Holly Wells, in nearby Redhouse Gardens. She told her parents she was going to give her friend a necklace engraved with the letter "H" that she had purchased for her on
5395-502: The time that the girls were last seen. This vehicle was last seen turning into the Studlands Park housing estate. The following evening, a jogger alerted police to two mounds of recently disturbed earth he had seen at Warren Hill, just outside Newmarket, which he speculated might have been the burial locations of the two girls. An overnight examination revealed them to be badger setts . One person who claimed to have spoken with
5478-533: The two before the children ate dinner with the other guests. They returned to playing upstairs in the house at about 6:10 p.m. Around 6:15 p.m., the two girls left the Wells residence without informing anyone to buy sweets from a vending machine at the local sports centre. While returning to 4 Redhouse Gardens, Wells and Chapman walked past the College Close home of Ian Huntley, the senior caretaker at
5561-496: The workload, or set someone up out of spite, or get God complex and think they are helping their victims , or be seeking attention, self-empowerment, and thrill. In one such case, neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was accused of killing at least 7 infants between June 2015 to 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital and attempting to kill a further 10 more. In 1992, after the fatal shooting of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis as he left
5644-615: Was also believed to have followed a 12-year-old girl in the same area, although in this instance, his car had been fitted with number plates which had been stolen in Nottinghamshire . The same vehicle had recently been sighted in Glatton , Cambridgeshire. This information was later included in a televised appeal about the children's disappearance on the BBC 's Crimewatch , but this potential lead failed to bear fruit. Several members of
5727-504: Was also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice on this date. She was further charged with two counts of assisting an offender on 17 January 2003. While held on remand at Holloway Prison , Carr regularly enquired as to Huntley's welfare, and wrote several letters in which she professed her continued love for him. Carr only severed contact with Huntley in December 2002. To determine Huntley's state of mental health, he
5810-421: Was broadcast on 12 August. Other family members and friends of both girls also appealed via the media for the safe return of the children. 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. The community held a candlelight vigil on 7 August. Shortly after
5893-517: 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. His girlfriend, Maxine Ann Carr – the girls' teaching assistant – had knowingly provided Huntley with a false alibi . She received a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for conspiring with Huntley to pervert the course of justice . The search for Holly and Jessica in
5976-511: Was deemed mentally competent to stand trial. 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. Christopher Clark, consultant forensic psychiatrist , reciting the conclusions of his assessment of Ian Huntley's mental state (2002) Having been declared mentally fit to stand trial, Huntley
6059-431: Was described as being fair , with blonde hair. 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. 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." Suspecting
6142-539: Was detained under Section 48 of the Mental Health Act for almost two months at Rampton Secure Hospital. 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. Clark concluded in October that, although psychopathic , Huntley did not suffer from any major mental or psychotic illness . On 8 October, Huntley
6225-499: Was faced with a sentence of life imprisonment if a jury could be convinced of his guilt. He was transferred to a segregation unit at Woodhill prison in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire . On 9 June 2003, he attempted suicide by taking 29 antidepressants which he had accumulated in his cell. Staff initially feared Huntley might die as a result of this overdose , but he was returned to his prison cell within 48 hours. Huntley
6308-583: Was later transferred to London's Belmarsh prison . 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. Carr pleaded not guilty to the charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice and assisting an offender. Child murder Note: Varies by jurisdiction Pedicide , child murder , child manslaughter , or child homicide
6391-510: Was left on train tracks to give the impression that a train had hit him. Bulger's killers became the youngest convicted murderers in the modern history of the United Kingdom. Another notable case in the UK occurred in 1968 in Newcastle upon Tyne , when 10-year-old Mary Bell was convicted of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility in the deaths of toddlers Martin Brown and Brian Howe. She
6474-421: Was not at home in Soham as she had claimed to the media. 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 as the couple remained under police watch at separate locations outside Soham. Each room of Huntley's home had evidently been recently and meticulously cleaned with what was later described as being
6557-480: Was overseen by a police authority that comprised 17 members. This was made up of nine district councillors, of which seven were nominated by Cambridgeshire County Council and two by Peterborough City Council, three magistrates, nominated by the county's magistrates' courts committee; and five independent members, chosen from the community. However, In 2011 the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011
6640-581: Was passed by Parliament which abolished Police Authorities in favour of an elected police and crime commissioner (PCC). On 15 November 2012, elections took place in England and Wales to elect a PCC for each Police Area . In Cambridgeshire, the winning candidate was Conservative Sir Graham Bright , former MP for Luton. The Cambridgeshire PCC is scrutinised by the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Panel, made up of elected councillors from
6723-497: Was progressing and how long DNA evidence could survive before deteriorating. One of these officers observed three vertical scratches on Huntley's left jaw, each measuring approximately three centimetres (1.2 in), which he claimed had been recently inflicted by his dog. On 16 August, twelve days after the children's disappearance, Huntley and Carr were first questioned by police. Both were questioned for approximately seven hours. Each gave witness statements before being placed in
6806-404: Was released in 1980 at the age of 23. In 1998, 8-year-old Madelyn Clifton was killed by 14-year-old Josh Phillips . Children, especially infants, have been killed on purpose by medical professionals. Katherine Ramsland , an expert in serial killers, believes predatory offenders may view healthcare agencies as "places of trust" where they have advantages. While other killers may decide to reduce
6889-505: Was soon ruled out. On 8 August, CCTV footage of the girls, recorded minutes before their disappearance, was released to the public. This footage depicted them arriving at the local sports centre at 6:28 p.m. A televised reconstruction of the children's last known movements was broadcast nationally on 10 August, and both sets of parents granted an interview with presenter Colin Baker on ITV 's current affairs programme Tonight , which
#48951