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. Both were arrested on suspicion of abduction and murder at 4:30a.m. on 17 August. Get back in the van! He was never charged with this offence, but subsequently confessed to this attack in April 2007. Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Connie Booth. [160], Huntley was a timid child, and something of a mother's boy. [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. On hearing this, Carr slumped forward. She was born in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England. Each refused to file criminal complaints or accept help from social services. . She lost her life at the hands of Ian Kevin Huntley when she was 10 years old. Music Composed and Conducted by: David Newman. 2002 double homicide in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England, Chapman (left) and Wells (right), summer 2002, 20 August 2002 booking photograph of Carr. Episode 2. [6] He stressed that the cause of death was murder, adding: "Ten-year-old girls don't just drop dead. [6], The two girls and a friend named Natalie Parr played computer games and listened to music for about half an hour. 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 . The funeral services for Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were held on consecutive days in September 2002. "[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. [106][107], 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. Holly was buried yesterday after a service at St Andrew's Church in Soham, Cambridgeshire.Sep 4, 2002 Thank you! Two years later, on 21 March 2010, he received non life-threatening injuries to his neck after his throat was slashed by convicted armed robber Damien Fowkes. [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. PARENTS of pupils at an Ulster primary school are petrified that a "Holly and Jessica" - style tragedy could strike . The brutal murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman shocked the entire country. [39][n 3] The community held a candlelight vigil on 7 August. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He was also forbidden from initiating contact with his baby daughter or her mother. The girls had been at a Wells family barbecue before sneaking out to buy sweets . Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%. 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 parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman will probably never know how their daughters died. 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. I was the last person to see them!" [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. 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 . Wed, 17 Dec, 2003 - 13:00. "[17] Huntley did not reply to this message. This revealed that the car had also been recently, extensively cleaned, but traces of a mixture of brick dust, chalk and concrete of the same type used to pave the road leading to where the girls' bodies would be discovered were found around the wheel arches and on and around the pedals. The couple married at Grimsby Register Office on 28 January 1995. The 10-year-old friends left the gathering to buy sweets in Soham . C ya around school! [118] Carr only severed contact with Huntley in December 2002. The girls' bodies were discovered on 17 August 2002. Both services were held at St Andrew's parish church and officiated by Tim Alban Jones, and the girls were buried in adjacent graves in Soham's Fordham Road Cemetery, following ceremonies attended by only family and close friends. That involved at all costs protecting Ian Huntley. Between 1992 and 2002, he had committed many acts of physical and sexual violence against women and children for which he had been unpunished. On June 16, 2003, Ian Huntly pleaded not guilty to the formal charges accusing him of murdering Holly and Jessica . [13], The precise events after the girls entered 5 College Close are unknown, but investigators believe sections of Huntley's later claims in initial interviews granted to the media prior to his arrest and his later trial testimonysuch as that he had been cleaning his dog at the time the girls passed by his house around 6:30p.m. and that one girl had been suffering from a nosebleedmay have been true. [29] Over 260 registered sex offenders across the UK - including 15 high-risk paedophiles - were also questioned; all were eliminated from the investigation. [163] Huntley began work at Soham Village College on 26 November. Jessica Chapmans parents, Leslie and Sharon, have rarely spoken publicly about the murder. )[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. Grief does not diminish, but you can manage the intensity and learn to live with it.. Chaired by Sir Michael Bichard, the Bichard inquiry opened on 13 January 2004. The murder took its toll on their marriage for a while, the pair have admitted. I'll rot in here, I know it. Wednesday 17 December 2003. Huntley was given two life sentences by the judge. [25][n 1], To help their public appeals for information, Cambridgeshire Police released 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. [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. [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. 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. [161], At both primary and secondary school, Huntley was an average scholar. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. On 14 September 2005, while an inmate at HM Prison Wakefield, he was scalded with boiling water by convicted spree killer Mark Hobson. [165], In 1990, Huntley finished his schooling, obtaining five GCSE passes. On August 17, police arrested Ian Huntley and his girlfriend, Maxine Carr, for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. She preferred to do what she could to make the best of the position she was in. ", "Huntley Must Serve 40 Years at Least, Judge Rules", "Trail of Underage Sex and Violence that Led to Murders", "Rootless and Troubled Lives of Couple Suspected of Killing Holly and Jessica", "Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells: 18 Years on From The Soham Murders", "Ex-detective Says 'Unspectacular' Huntley Did Not Stand Out", "Former Neighbour Describes Huntley Paedophile Slurs and Former Girlfriend Reveals His Violent Behaviour", "He Charmed, Bullied and Lied His Way Through Life", "School Admits Huntley References Not Checked", "Maxine Carr is One More Huntley Victim: Why Do We Demonise Her? Huntley had never been convicted of any of these criminal allegations; his burglary charge had remained on file. [38], Maxine Carr was born Maxine Ann Capp. "[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. 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 . [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). His fingerprints were recovered from the bin. . I get the impression that the Chapman's do not want any publicity at all rather than there being any hostility. Two decades ago, 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered by their school caretaker Ian Huntley. [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. 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 . [166] He also viewed himself as something of a ladies' man, and was scrupulous about his personal appearance and personal hygiene. Investigators believe that prior to his 2002 arrest, Huntley had engaged in illegal sexual activity with up to 60 underage girls. [14] In any event, the cause of death of both girls was later ruled to be asphyxiation. [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. 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. Investigators were able to obtain extensive footage of the children's movements following their departure from the Wells household. We will never forget Holly but life does move on it has to. However, they did break their silence on the first anniversary of the Police National Database launch. Huntley's parents had separated in 1993. [152] On 17 December 2003, they returned a majority verdict of guilty on two counts of murder against Huntley. 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. 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. Now, almost 20 years on, Channel 5 tonight (March 10) continues its documentary series Soham: The Murder of Holly & Jessica. There's two little Beckhams over there. [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. [153] The results of this inquiry were published that June.[237]. We have the professionals you need. Investigators would later determine Wells and Chapman had most likely been attackedand possibly murderedin the dining room of College Close. Huntley further alleges Carr had encouraged him to burn both bodies in an attempt to destroy all forensic evidence linking him to the crime. ", "In a Secure Mental Unit, Huntley is Charged on Two Counts of Murder", "Inquest Into Deaths of Murdered Cambridgeshire Girls Opens Today", "Asphyxia 'Likely Cause' of Soham Deaths", "Funerals of Soham Girls Take Place in Private", "Holly and Jessica Laid to Rest in Private", "Caretaker was Sure Holly and Jessica had Not Run Away", "Missing Girls: Police Appeal to Abductor", "Arrested Couple Publicly Declared their Affection for Girls", "Old Bailey Jury Watches TV Interviews of Huntley and Carr", "Ownership of Red Fiesta is Key Issue in Soham Trial", "Two Held on Suspicion of Murdering Missing Girls", "Tearful Carr Confronted with Evidence Against Lover, Court Hears", "In a Secure Mental Unit, Ian Huntley is Charged On Two Counts of Murder", "Soham Accused Carr to Testify Via Prison Video Link", "Maxine Carr to Wed as She Finds Man Ready to Forget Her Past", "Holly, Jessica and the Unravelling of a Dark and Terrible Mystery", "Ian Huntley Back in Prison After Taking Drug Overdose", "Jessica's Mobile 'is Vital Clue to Murder', "Soham Trial Hears Further Witness Evidence", "Please Don't Think I Could Kill, Said Huntley in Call to Mother", "Huntley Story 'Highly Unlikely' Says Expert", "Soham Murders: How Ian Huntley's Killing of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman Shook the Nation", "Maxine Carr Takes the Stand to Tell the Court Why She Stood by Huntley", "Find Him Guilty of Manslaughter, QC Tells Jury", "Maxine Carr: What Happened to Ian Huntley's Girlfriend After the Soham Murders? Each of these girls was at least one year younger than himself; none of these relationships lasted longer than a few weeks. And the intensity of your grief does diminish as the years pass., He added: Grief Encounter helped us learn how to manage our grief and that is why I will never stop supporting this charity.. [59], On 16 August, twelve days after the children's disappearance, Huntley and Carr were first questioned by police. They both lived in the village of Soham in Cambridgeshire, where they went to St Andrew's Primary School. Huntley saw the girls and lured them back to his house on the pretence that their teaching assistant Maxine Carr, his girlfriend was also at the house. It remains one of the most . [110] She had therefore later agreed to concoct a false story with her partner to support his version of events. [55], 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! "[28], Suspecting the children had been kidnapped, investigators questioned every registered sex offender in Cambridgeshire and neighbouring Lincolnshire. [185] Psychologists have also determined Huntley has mentally blocked any attempts to accept the reality or enormity of his actions pertaining to his repeated violence against females in order that he might cope with the consequences of his actions. 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 a nervous breakdown. In an effort to lose weight, she developed a habit of forcing herself to vomit after eating. [149] Coward also contended the prosecution had failed to provide conclusive evidence to support their claim that Huntley's actual motive for the murders had been sexual. After two months of courtship,[163] Huntley proposed to Evans. Huntley's parents enrolled their son in Immingham Comprehensive at age 13. Their disappearance attracted international media attention and precipitated the biggest ever manhunt in Britain. Capp obtained her diploma in 1996. [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. Rating: PG. Nicola and Kevin Wells are the parents of Holly, who was murdered along with her best friend on August 4 2002. The court also heard the reading of statements from the families of the Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who Mr Huntley is accused of murdering. He said it helped the family with their loss. He went on to have what his parents thought were "imaginary friends . 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. Latham contended Huntley had deliberately lured the girls into his home at approximately 6:37p.m.[128] and that both girls had been murdered shortly thereafter, with cell site analysis showing Huntley had switched off Chapman's mobile phone either outside his home or within the grounds of Soham Village College after both girls had been murdered. No family members are expected to take the stand. [55], I don't know the girls. [180] The youngest girl Huntley is known to have raped was 12 years old, with another girl he had attempted to rape being 11. Huntley was later transferred to London's Belmarsh prison. [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! [102][n 10], Having discovered the children's clothes at Soham Village College,[82] police decided to arrest Huntley and Carr. He hasn't done it! [142] When questioned about why she had then helped Huntley in extensively cleaning their home in the days after the children's murder, Carr claimed she had done so as she had always been "obsessive about tidiness. Holly Wells, left, and Jessica Chapman were just 10 years old when they were murdered in 2002. Credit: Photo: BRIAN SMITH. Their son Oliver and his partner Lydia Chambers had welcomed a baby called Ethan and were expecting their second child later that summer. Each provided witness statements before being placed in a safe house in the village of Histon. [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. Maxine Carr is a former teaching assistant at St. Andrew. This is also where Maxine Carr worked in Holly and Jessicas class. Jessicas parents are Sharon and Leslie Chapman. [171] This complainant stated Huntley had threatened to kill her before assaulting her. [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. On August 4, 2002, Huntley murdered Wells and Chapman . The Wells family still live in Soham, the village where Holly was killed. As a result, he began rebuffing any offers to socialise with colleagues for fear of being attacked while alone in their company. [189], By the time Capp entered adolescence, she was slightly overweight, leading her to become insecure about her physical appearance. 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. Watch on . The same year, she and her mother moved from Keelby back to Grimsby. [168] The marriage was short-lived due to Huntley's volatile temper, which surfaced within days of their marriage. [174] Furthermore, both Huntley and Carr are known to have conducted affairs throughout their relationship. Police officers and members of the local . A Tim Burton Film. [47], The following evening, a jogger alerted police to two mounds of recently disturbed earth he had seen at Warren Hill, just outside Newmarket. [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. "[45] A young woman named Karen Greenwood also reported seeing the girls walking "arm in arm" along College Road about two minutes later. 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. [95] To one officer, he said: "You think I've done it? Holly Wells Parents & Ethnicity:- Holly Wells was a 10 years old school girl who was kidnapped alongside her friend Jessica Chapman by a school caretaker Ian Huntley. [200] Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to a ground-floor flat in Scunthorpe, where Huntley formally proposed to Carr in June 1999. The family regularly experienced financial difficulties, but Shirley would later state she "spoiled" her daughters to the best of her financial ability. He can't have been! Following the separation of his parents in 1993, Huntley chose to use his mother's surname. Jessica Wells, Wiki, Biography, Age. [9], The final criminal allegation against Huntley prior to the Soham murders dates from July 1999. We slept on it for a long . Christopher Clark, consultant forensic psychiatrist, reciting the conclusions of his assessment of Ian Huntley's mental state (2002)[121], Having been declared mentally fit to stand trial, Huntley was faced with a sentence of life imprisonment if a jury could be convinced of his guilt. Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us what you think of our story. 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. More than 400 officers worked around the clock to find the girls, along with hundreds of locals who volunteered to help and appealed to . This vehicle was last seen turning into the Studlands Park housing estate. [73][77] Nine days later, a public memorial service was held at Ely Cathedral for both girls. [50][n 4] According to Huntley, Wells and Chapmanboth "happy as Larry"[52]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. Episode 1. [69], Carr was also interviewed by the press during the second week of the search for the children. [184], According to one columnist, the fact that Huntley had remained unpunished for these often blatant and continuous acts had increased his confidence and reinforced his domineering, misogynistic mindset and fuelling his recidivism. "[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. [16] Huntley's face showed no emotion as the verdict was announced; the mothers of both Wells and Chapman burst into tears. [194] Shy and reserved and prone to wear clothing which concealed her figure when sober, Capp became markedly flirtatious when having consumed alcohol, and is known to have occasionally engaged in exhibitionism in addition to frequently engaging in one-night stands with people she encountered in pubs and clubs. [123] He was transferred to a segregation unit at Woodhill prison in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. There's no trace of the building which once stood there, nor a memorial to the two young girls murdered inside. "[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. Are you looking for real estate agents or brokers? She explained the reason for the lack of any traces of semen being discovered could have been a result of the charred and melted condition of the articles she had inspected. [208] The site where 5 College Close once stood is now a vacant patch of grass. [193], Several of Capp's colleagues later remarked how they found her to be a distant and immature figure with few friends or hobbies. Carr only replied to his missed call at 6:23p.m. We suggest that this whole business in the house was motivated by something sexual. [96], When questioned about his failure to call emergency services and subsequent, extensive efforts to destroy evidence and divert suspicion from himself, Huntley insisted he had first become preoccupied with whether the police and public would believe the girls' deaths had been accidental, and he had decided to conceal all evidence of the deaths as opposed to either notifying police or paramedics. Holly and Jessica's families still live in Soham. He worked as a senior caretaker there until his arrest. [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. [228] At the time, Carr was one of four former prisoners in the UK to be given a new identity upon release. Pervert alert at primary school. We hope [the databases] use will mean other families dont suffer the same loss and heartbreak as we did, they said per the Evening Standard. When they were returning home, they were lured into the local resident, Ian Kevin Huntley's home. [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. [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. THE community of Soham was left heartbroken when the bodies of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were discovered in 2002. In his early years, he frequently threw tantrums in order to get his mother's attention; childhood friends later remarked how afraid he was of his stern father. [48] The initial speculation by the jogger had been that these mounds of earth might have been the burial locations of the two missing girls. Huntley admitted having sex with this woman, but insisted the act had been consensual. [215] Following this attack, Huntley alleged that prison authorities had failed in their duty of care towards him, and launched a claim for 15,000 in compensation. Jessica was a schoolgirl. It was a job she returned to in the years following her daughters murder. [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. On 4th August 2002, 10-year-old school friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were enjoying a .