[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. 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. Summary information is updated to reflect amendments since the report was initially filed. . 10 year old Jessica Chapman called over to see her friend Holly Wells. 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. Their son Oliver and his partner Lydia Chambers had welcomed a baby called Ethan and were expecting their second child later that summer. The killer's girlfriend, Maxine Carr, who was the girls' teaching . [235], Immediately after Huntley's conviction, previous criminal allegations against him were made public. The same year, she and her mother moved from Keelby back to Grimsby. [187], The marriage between Capp's parents was marred by frequent arguments. For the first five months after Holly died we broke down together, but after that we processed our grief at different speeds, Kevin told the Evening Standard. Therefore, in this ruthless man's mind, both girls had to die in his own selfish self-interest." By Donna Bowater 24 July 2012 7:00am. For the first five months after Holly died we broke down together, but after that we processed our grief at different speeds. Both were arrested on suspicion of abduction and murder at 4:30a.m. on 17 August. Sign up for Bustle UK's twice-weekly newsletter, featuring the latest must-watch TV, moving personal stories, and expert advice on the hottest viral buys. It was startling to see the previous fiance of Ian Huntley grinning in an outdated interview movie as she mentioned the victims, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, with a BBC reporter. Ian Huntley is found guilty of murdering both Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. [135] Davey testified she had found minute traces of blood and saliva on these objects, but no positive traces of semen. Jessicas parents are Sharon and Leslie Chapman. [169] Shortly after their separation, Huntley's wife formed a relationship with and later married Huntley's younger brother, Wayne. Via his father, Huntley learned of a school caretaker vacancy in nearby Soham Village College in mid-2001. [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. 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. Huntley was given two life sentences by the judge. Immediately on seeing the corpses, Lawrence turned to his girlfriend, Helen Sawyer, and shouted: "Don't come any closer, Helen! In the summer of 2002, two 10-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, went missing from their home in Soham. FRIENDS Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing in August 2002 and their bodies were not found until more than a week later. They briefly moved out of the family home where she spent her last day, though. [216], Huntley was transferred from Wakefield prison to Frankland prison on 23 January 2008. [171] This complainant stated Huntley had threatened to kill her before assaulting her. [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. The 10-year-old best friends were inseperable - even when their lives were cruelly snatched away by vicious killer Ian Huntley 18 years ago today. [69] In an apparent effort to destroy forensic evidence, the murderer or murderers had attempted to burn both bodies. Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%. Capp obtained her diploma in 1996. [31], On 8 August,[32] CCTV footage of the girls, recorded minutes before their disappearance, was released to the public. 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. . Holly Wells, born on September 1, 1991, in Soham, Cambridgeshire, was brutally murdered along with her best friend, Jessica Chapman. What is their net worth? [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. Shortly thereafter, she and her daughters moved to the village of Keelby. Testimony from Carr had indicated her suspicions sexual activity had occurred in their home in her absence as, although Huntley had insisted throughout their relationship that Carr perform all domestic chores, she noticed that he had washed the quilts, pillow cases and sheets of their bed in her absence. [228] At the time, Carr was one of four former prisoners in the UK to be given a new identity upon release. Produced In Association With Silver Screen Partners III and MTM Enterprises, Inc. "The Roger Rabbit's Little OddParents". While townsfolk are determined to remember Holly and Jessica, acts of remembrance in Soham are expected to be low-profile. He was never charged with this offence, but subsequently confessed to this attack in April 2007. Twenty . [24], Huntley's car was also forensically examined on 16 August. Responding to questioning from her defence counsel, Michael Hubbard QC, Carr briefly discussed her initial acquaintance with Huntley, their subsequent relationship and plans to start a family once they both obtained financial stability before Hubbard directed his questioning toward her return to Soham on 6 August and her discovering Huntley had recently washed their bedding and had evidently cleaned sections of the house. [160], Huntley was a timid child, and something of a mother's boy. At age 10, Wells and Chapman went missing from the Wells home on August 4, 2002, and were found dead on August 17, 2002, after going missing for almost two weeks. He admitted engaging in sex with the claimant, but claimed the act had been consensual. 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. He was also forbidden from initiating contact with his baby daughter or her mother. [230], At least a dozen women have been falsely identified as being Carr and either persecuted or physically attacked due to false stories speculating as to her whereabouts and new identity which have been printed in tabloid publications. "[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. [78] This service was attended by about 2,000 people, including the girls' classmates, teachers and the six family liaison officers who had provided 24-hour service for both families. [129] Latham described how mobile phone records and eyewitness accounts placed Carr in Grimsby on the evening in question,[130] showing the statements she had given to police and press had been false. [74], The following day, Cambridgeshire Deputy Chief Constable Keith Hodder released 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. [16] Huntley's face showed no emotion as the verdict was announced; the mothers of both Wells and Chapman burst into tears. Runtime: 92 minutes. She found out on 23 July that her application had been unsuccessful. "[225], Carr was released on probation from HM Prison Foston Hall on 14 May 2004 after serving a total of 21 months' imprisonment (including the 16 months she had been detained while on remand). It was one, almost two years before we found each other again, he continued, but grief gives you a different sense of the passage of time and it slipped by unnoticed. As Kevin says in the ITV documentary, he and Nicola were determined to be among the 5 per cent of couples who stay together following the bereavement of a murdered child. [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. The girls' bodies were discovered on 17 August 2002. There is no greater task for the criminal justice system than to protect the vulnerable. [14] His employers helped him to get the tenancy of 5 College Close,[208] and he and Carr moved to Soham in late September. The killers girlfriend, Maxine Carr, who was the girls teaching assistant, was jailed for giving him a false alibi. Carr was sentenced to serve three-and-a-half years in prison for perverting the course of justice. [14], The prosecution contended at Huntley's trial that a likely sexual motive existed for the murders. 17 December 2003[151], Following the conclusion of both counsels' closing arguments, Mr Justice Moses announced the jury would begin their deliberations on 12 December. School caretaker Ian Huntley is currently serving a prison sentence for the young girls' murder. [73] Numerous hairs later determined to belong to Chapman were discovered on a tree branch close to the location of the girls' bodies. 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 . "[4], Prior to murdering Wells and Chapman, Huntley had established an extensive record of consensual and unconsensual sexual activity with femalesmany of whom had been under the age of consent. He can't have been! [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. [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. "[55][n 5] This officer was unconvinced by Huntley's claims and suspicious of his agitated demeanour; Huntley remained a strong suspect. "[134], Testimony relating to the forensic evidence linking Huntley was heard on 24 November. [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. 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. Today's service is a small milestone in our shared journey of grief and sorrow it is our hope that we may perhaps draw a line under one phase of our grieving and begin to look forward. [119], To determine Huntley's state of mental health, he was detained under Section 48 of the Mental Health Act for almost two months at Rampton Secure Hospital. [57], On 6 August, Huntley drove from Soham to Grimsby to pick up Carr. Both were questioned for approximately seven hours. Latham stated neither body showed signs of compressive neck injuries, knife wounds, drugging or poisoning, and that both girls had most likely died of asphyxiation. [47], The following evening, a jogger alerted police to two mounds of recently disturbed earth he had seen at Warren Hill, just outside Newmarket. Read more: Ian Huntleys jail term run-in with Yorkshire Ripper, suicide attempts and a near-fatal stabbing. 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. [38] These appeals for information on the whereabouts of Wells and Chapman produced over 2,000 phone calls and tips from the public, with all information obtained entered into the investigation's HOLMES 2 database. Today I accept there was nothing more or different as a parent I could have done to change the outcome, Kevin said at the time. We have the professionals you need. She was jailed for giving Huntley a false alibi after he killed 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Its strange being three of us when there used to be a fourth.. [10] At 5:04p.m., a photograph of the two friends was taken by Wells' mother before the children ate dinner with the other house guests. Shortly thereafter, she briefly worked as a junior care assistant at a care home for the elderly in Grimsby, then returned to work alongside her mother as a labourer at Bluecrest fish processing plant. Investigators located and seized this vehicle from a caravan park in Wentworth on 7 August; this lead also proved fruitless. [68] Most watched News videos. 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. Even at four years old, the two girls instantly became best friends, practically joined at the hip, and . 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. The girls had been playing together at . His activities with this youth organisation fuelled an interest he had held since childhood for aeroplanes, and he seriously considered a future career with the Royal Air Force. [133] Latham then closed his statement by again bringing the jury's attention to Huntley's claim that both deaths had been accidental, remarking, "We pose this question: Two of them?" [192][195][n 14], While Capp resided with her mother in Grimsby, she unofficially adopted the surname Benson. Ian Huntley's account of Holly drowning after falling into his bath . 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.. The brutal murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman shocked the entire country. A documentary about Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr will air on Channel 5 on 9 and 10 March 2022 at . Holly Wells, left, and Jessica Chapman were just 10 years old when they were murdered in 2002. Credit: Photo: BRIAN SMITH. 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. ", "Caretaker Charged With Murder of Two Girls and Sent to Rampton", "Holly and Jessica: Two Bodies Found in Woods", "The Whole Town is Weeping: A Community Dazed by Grief and Disbelief", "Chatroom Contact Dismissed as False Lead", "Reconstruction of Children's Walk Too Painful for Parents to Watch", "Walking in the Last Known Footsteps of Holly and Jessica", "Abduction of Six-year-old May be Linked to Missing Girls", "A Long Night Waiting for News That Never Came", "Countdown to Murder of 'Two Little Beckhams', "Soham Murders: Why did Ian Huntley Kill Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman? Jessica Chapmans parents, Leslie and Sharon, have rarely spoken publicly about the murder. Chris Young - PA Images/PA Images/Getty Images, schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered. He worked as a senior caretaker there until his arrest. Its strange being three of us, when there used to be a fourth.. 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. [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. Then we could have stopped them, or done something about it. There's no trace of the building which once stood there, nor a memorial to the two young girls murdered inside. A month later, Huntley was charged and remanded in custody at HM Prison Wolds for one week after another 18-year-old Grimsby woman claimed Huntley beat and raped her while she was walking home from a local nightclub. [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. Huntley would later inform investigators that he had waited for nightfall before opting to drive to RAF Lakenheath to dispose of the girls' bodies. "[148], Following the conclusion of the prosecution's closing argument, Coward delivered his argument on behalf of the defence. He was reportedly awarded 2,500 in legal aid to pursue this claim. A new Channel 5 documentary Soham: The Murder of Holly & Jessica dives into what happened immediately after their parents declared them missing, and how they achieved justice when Huntley was sentenced to two life sentences. [46] Police also received statements regarding a suspicious white van that had been seen in Soham on the evening of the children's disappearance. A scenes of crime officer also testified that, despite Huntley's exhaustive efforts to remove physical evidence of his crime from his home, a forensic examination had revealed several traces of blood spattering about the hallway and main entrance to the master bedroom. [167], In June 1994, Huntley began dating 18-year-old Claire Evans, who he met through his employment at a local Heinz factory. Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both 10, were killed by Huntley after they went missing following a BBQ in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on 4 August 2002. [59], On 16 August, twelve days after the children's disappearance, Huntley and Carr were first questioned by police. The inquiry scrutinised the investigation by Cambridgeshire Police into the children's disappearance and murder, as almost two weeks had elapsed following the disappearance of Wells and Chapman before Cambridgeshire Police became aware of Huntley's previous criminal background, despite his claims to be the last person to see the children alive. Holly was buried yesterday after a service at St Andrew's Church in Soham, Cambridgeshire.Sep 4, 2002 Today marks 20 years since schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells vanished from a family barbecue and later turned up dead. Carr pleaded not guilty to the charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice and assisting an offender. [170] Within four weeks of their acquaintance,[199] she had moved into Huntley's Barton-upon-Humber flat, and the couple informed relatives of their eagerness to start a family. [118] Carr only severed contact with Huntley in December 2002. Each provided witness statements before being placed in a safe house in the village of Histon. I was stood on the front doorstep grooming my dog down.