holly wells and jessica chapman parents

FRIENDS Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing in August 2002 and their bodies were not found until more than a week later. Two decades ago, 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered by their school caretaker Ian Huntley. 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. Holly was buried yesterday after a service at St Andrew's Church in Soham, Cambridgeshire.Sep 4, 2002 Ian Huntley brutally murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in the Soham murders of 2002 - and persuaded his girlfriend Maxine Carr to cover for him. Then we could have stopped them, or done something about it. "[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 not until 8 p.m. that Holly's parents found out she was missing. On 4th August 2002, 10-year-old school friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were enjoying a . [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. [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. The girls had been at a Wells family barbecue before sneaking out to buy sweets . Following a heated argument in mid-1979, Shirley ordered her husband to leave the household. None were alive when Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman died on this day 20 years ago . [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?" Local Search Options. This had included fibre evidence retrieved from Huntley's vehicle, clothes and carpets which had been a "precise match" to the Manchester United shirts the girls had been wearing at the time of their disappearance. 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. Where is Joseph Fritzl now? She wasnt and Huntley has since admitted murdering the girls. [46] Police also received statements regarding a suspicious white van that had been seen in Soham on the evening of the children's disappearance. He said it helped the family with their loss. 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. I wish I could see her now, see what shed have looked like, he is quoted as telling RadioTimes in 2012 , prior to having his own kids. Jessica Chapmans parents, Leslie and Sharon, have rarely spoken publicly about the murder. The two were best friends and had been spending time with each other for the past couple of days. [165], In 1990, Huntley finished his schooling, obtaining five GCSE passes. Today marks 20 years since schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells vanished from a family barbecue and later turned up dead. [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. This cassette tape contains a very different account of the murders of Wells and Chapman than that to which Huntley had testified at his trial. [1] He also stated that the girls had almost certainly not died at the location where their bodies had been discovered,[73] and that both bodies had been placed there within 24 hours of their deaths. [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. None were alive when Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman died on this day 20 years ago . Alarmed, she and her husband, Kevin, searched the house and nearby streets. Speaking previously to the Radio Times, Oliver admitted that he thinks about his sister often. Additional Score Recordings by TOM BAILEY JOHN WITT CHAPMAN. Jessica and her friend Holly Marie Wells were both killed by Ian Huntly and his girlfriend Maxine Carr. At the time, he said: After losing Holly we both witnessed and experienced the effects that bereavement and the grieving process can have on your life. When it was revealed that they had moved back into the family home, Nicola and Kevin also shared the news that they had become grandparents. His explanation for this was that he wanted to convey to the media the frustration and despair the community was feeling. After the kidnapping, both girls were killed. The victim of this assault later said that Huntley had not been the perpetrator of her assault. )[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. 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 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. She was murdered alongside her best friend, Jessica Chapman. "[28], Suspecting the children had been kidnapped, investigators questioned every registered sex offender in Cambridgeshire and neighbouring Lincolnshire. He would also emotionally blackmail his partner if he detected any signs of her developing resistance to his control or indicating a desire to leave him. Two decades on, where are their parents now, and how have they moved on from the awful tragedy? [228] At the time, Carr was one of four former prisoners in the UK to be given a new identity upon release. He was again the target of physical and verbal bullying at this school, but did form a few friendships via a shared interest in computer games. Ian Huntley was found guilty of their murders and sentenced to life in prison. Songs by: Van Dyke Parks. In an attempt to emotionally blackmail his wife into remaining with him, Huntley alternately feigned an illness and, later, began drooling before faking an epileptic seizure; neither ploy succeeded. The parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman will probably never know how their daughters died. He was not charged. [153] The results of this inquiry were published that June.[237]. He applied for this using the alias Ian Nixon. [49], One person who claimed to have spoken with 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. Produced In Association With Silver Screen Partners III and MTM Enterprises, Inc. "The Roger Rabbit's Little OddParents". [118] Carr only severed contact with Huntley in December 2002. And soccer star David . [118] This led to her developing anorexia at 16, with her weight at one stage plummeting to six stones (38 kg), and her mother forcing her to eat in order for her to regain weight. [5][6], At 11:45a.m. on Sunday, 4 August 2002, Jessica Chapman left her home in Brook Street, Soham, to attend a barbecue at the home of her best friend, Holly Wells, in nearby Redhouse Gardens. [66] Walking through an overgrown verge about 600 yards (550m) from a partially tarmacked road, Pryer and one of his companions, Adrian Lawrence, discovered the children's bodies. 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. [168] The marriage was short-lived due to Huntley's volatile temper, which surfaced within days of their marriage. Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us what you think of our story. 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 . Between 1992 and 2002, he had committed many acts of physical and sexual violence against women and children for which he had been unpunished. Kevin previously told an ITV documentary that the stress almost led to the break-up of their marriage. Huntley's mother's maiden name had been Nixon. He then speculated Huntley's defence counsel may try and argue that he had been confused, commenting: "In that case, they would have to consider [Huntley's] behaviour over the fortnight between the girls' disappearance and their bodies being found. The families of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells have laid the girls to rest at small private funerals almost a month after the 10-year-old best friends went missing. [14] In any event, the cause of death of both girls was later ruled to be asphyxiation. [174], In April 1998, Huntley was arrested on suspicion of raping an 18-year-old woman. [170], In March 1996, Huntley was charged with burglary. [14], The prosecution contended at Huntley's trial that a likely sexual motive existed for the murders. He revealed: She was lost in a kind of wilderness whereas I was more hard-line about my emotions. [169] Shortly after their separation, Huntley's wife formed a relationship with and later married Huntley's younger brother, Wayne. This is also where Maxine Carr worked in Holly and Jessicas class. [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. [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. The stated purpose of the Bichard inquiry was: Urgently to enquire into child protection procedures in Humberside Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary in the light of the recent trial and conviction of Ian Huntley for the murder of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. 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. We have the professionals you need. [239], The inquiry also severely criticised Humberside Police for deleting information relating to the previous criminal allegations against Huntley, and also criticised Cambridgeshire Police for not following standard vetting guidelines. Staff and agencies. The costs of imposing this order have been reported by differing tabloid newspapers as being between 1million and 50million. Huntley supplied a DNA sample to assist in their enquiries, with Carr also providing an alibi to support his claims of innocence. "[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. Within a month, Huntley had begun to regularly sexually assault his wife, also subjecting her to indignities such as locking her in their house and cutting off her hair. I was the last person to see them!" [9], The final criminal allegation against Huntley prior to the Soham murders dates from July 1999. Via this hobby, he became familiar with the environs of RAF Lakenheath. "[134], Testimony relating to the forensic evidence linking Huntley was heard on 24 November. Soham is a small town and civil parish located in the east of the university city Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. [201], Although they were a besotted couple in public, Huntley was very possessive of Carr, and is known to have emotionally abused and/or physically assaulted her frequently, often culminating in Carr returning to live with her mother before Huntley persuaded her to return to live with him. These findings ultimately led to the tightening of various procedures within the Criminal Records Bureau system, including compulsory checks into potential criminal backgrounds of people who apply to work with children.[243]. MAXINE Carr became one of Britain's most reviled women after she provided Ian Huntley with an alibi for the Soham murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, 20 years ago. [100], In February 2002, Huntley found Carr a part-time job at St Andrew's Primary School, although she lied about her academic qualifications when applying for this position. [193], Several of Capp's colleagues later remarked how they found her to be a distant and immature figure with few friends or hobbies. 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 [54], Police were suspicious of Huntley's account. The harrowing story documenting the murder of childhood friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of imprisonment to be imposed by the Lord Chief Justice at a later date. Soham: The Murder of Holly and Jessica 1/2 - True Crime DocumentaryTwo girls go missing from a Cambridge town in August of 2002, leaving their community reel. He was also forbidden from initiating contact with his baby daughter or her mother. A documentary about Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr will air on Channel 5 on 9 and 10 March 2022 at . She was jailed for giving Huntley a false alibi after he killed 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. We had a flood. ", "Jessica and Holly Doted on Maxine Carr, Says Teacher", "Police Piece Together Last Sightings of Girls", "Poor Intelligence, Poor Data System and Poor Media Strategy: Police Own Up to Failures", "Huntley's Question to Police: 'Am I a Suspect? Sophie Turners Joan Charts The Rise Of A Famous British Jewel Thief, 'Art Attack' Neil Buchanan's Latest Gig Is A Far Cry From The CITV Show, Stephen Fry Is Set To Host 'Jeopardy!s UK Comeback, The 'How I Met Your Mother' Cast Just Had A Legendary Reunion. [151][153], Carr pleaded guilty to the charge of perverting the course of justice, and not guilty to the charge of assisting an offender. [59], On 16 August, twelve days after the children's disappearance, Huntley and Carr were first questioned by police. To download all election summary data click here. [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. It can't have been! Their disappearance attracted international media attention and precipitated the biggest ever manhunt in Britain. From the moment Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman are discovered missing (4th August 2002) every heart rending . Ian Huntley was found guilty of their murders and sentenced to life in prison. This footage depicted them arriving at the local sports centre at 6:28p.m.[33][n 2] A televised reconstruction of the children's last known movements was broadcast nationally on 10 August,[35][36] and both sets of parents granted an interview with presenter Colin Baker on ITV's current affairs programme Tonight, which was broadcast on 12 August. They were 17 and 14 at the time of their sisters murder. Coronation Street: Killer twist for rapist Aaron when Tracy finds out? Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Connie Booth. On hearing this, Carr slumped forward. [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. [236], Upon learning of these public disclosures, Home Secretary David Blunkett announced a public inquiry into the intelligence-based record keeping and vetting system which had allowed Huntley to obtain employment as a school caretaker despite these previous criminal complaints, which had been reported to police and social services. 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. We will never forget Holly but life does move on it has to. To one colleague, Capp would talk incessantly about her dreams of leaving this employment and embarking on a teaching career. [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. Immediately on seeing the corpses, Lawrence turned to his girlfriend, Helen Sawyer, and shouted: "Don't come any closer, Helen! 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 a dress for such an occasion. 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. [229] Carr won an injunction on 24 February 2005, granting her lifelong anonymity on the grounds that her life would otherwise be in danger. Holly and Jessica remembered. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. "[79], An online book of condolence attracted more than 31,000 messages of grief and sympathy[80] and on 24 August, football clubs across Britain held a minute's silence before games. It was introduced to close gaps in information-sharing between police forces. He eventually started his new job months later. As a result, he began rebuffing any offers to socialise with colleagues for fear of being attacked while alone in their company. For the first five months after Holly died we broke down together, but after that we processed our grief at different speeds. The Wells family had moved out of the house they raised Holly and her younger brother Oliver in, as the memories were too painful. [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? He would typically use guile or force to achieve his desires. "[55][n 5] This officer was unconvinced by Huntley's claims and suspicious of his agitated demeanour; Huntley remained a strong suspect. Episode 2. 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. 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. Girl who thinks she might be Madeleine shunned by family for giving hope to McCanns, Ant and Dec defend Saturday Night Takeaway pranks in wake of Ofcom complaints. When Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing in Soham in 2002, Dennis was called in by Holly's family to help. Her age was 10 years at the time of her tragic death. 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. Locals would rally around the families of the girls and dedicate hours of their time searching for them . I hope the next time I see him, it will be like we saw our daughtersand it will be in a coffin. [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. They were determined to be among the five per cent of couples who stay together after losing a child to murder. Notorious killer gets throat slashed in jail. [174] Furthermore, both Huntley and Carr are known to have conducted affairs throughout their relationship. [192], In February 1999, Huntley met 22-year-old Maxine Carr in a Grimsby nightclub. 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.. Twenty . Huntley denies murdering the two girls and Carr, a former classroom assistant at . Thank you! "[67] Lawrence immediately reported the discoveries to police. We have her pictures in and around the house, but its not a shrine we dont live in the past.. Holly and Jessica had been playing together at a . Couple's daughter Holly and best friend Jessica Chapman killed in 2002 . 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. He also told Good Morning Britain in 2015: We still think of Holly every day. The last piece of footage of Wells and Chapman depicts the children walking onto a car park on the grounds of Soham Village College. Ten years after the murders, in 2012, Hollys parents Kevin and Nicola Wells opened up about the death of their daughter for the first time, via the Daily Mail. Lyrics by: Alan Menken. Both were questioned for approximately seven hours. 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. We slept on it for a long . While Kevin and Nicola have remained together since the unimaginable death of their daughter, they struggled for quite some time. I am Madeleine McCann girl has a price on her head as police investigate credible death threat, Emmerdale fans work out Caleb Miligans real reason for Home Farm plot as Alex returns, I am Madeleine McCann girl shares big announcement: Our discoveries are shocking, I am Madeleine McCann girl Julia Wandelt on dream come true as she shares news, Website appears to remove vile Madeleine McCann merchandise following fierce backlash, Con Girl on Paramount+: The disturbing tale of serial con artist Samantha Azzopardi. [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. [173] Rumours of Huntley's sexual interest in underage girls soon became community gossip, and he was regularly insulted by neighbours and colleagues. Coward concluded his closing argument by requesting the jury deliver a verdict of manslaughter in relation to both deaths.[150]. Huntley also developed a hobby of plane spotting. [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. Jessicas parents are Sharon and Leslie Chapman. [181][n 13], Following his arrest, several former girlfriends and sexual partners stated that Huntley presented himself as a charming and considerate man in the early stages of a relationship, but would become domineering and violent upon having established control. ", "Police Reveal Horrors of Bodies in Ditch", "Last Farewell: Holly Buried in Private Service with Flowers from The Beckhams; Jessica is Laid to Rest 24 Hours Earlier as The Two Families Grieve Alone", "Police Identify Holly and Jessica's Bodies", "Soham Murders: Why Did Ian Huntley Kill Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman? 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. Following the separation of his parents in 1993, Huntley chose to use his mother's surname. What happened to Elisabeth and her children? . They both lived in the village of Soham in Cambridgeshire, where they went to St Andrew's Primary School. Here is a timetable of the main events in the search for missing 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. 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. [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. ", "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? 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. Performed by Frankie Goes to . 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. [172] One of these girls would become pregnant at age 15,[166] and gave birth to a baby girl in 1998. Original Songs by: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Will Jennings, Robert Folk, Iwao Takamoto. Several of Carr's former partners would later inform reporters they found her to be an. [39], On 12 August, police launched a media appeal to trace the driver of a four-door, dark green saloon car. before beginning to weep. [72][n 6], Despite this, investigators rapidly deduced who the two victims most likely were, and that they had not died at the location of their discovery. [197] She later legally changed her surname to Carr in an apparent effort to distance herself from her father. [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! Even at four years old, the two girls instantly became best friends, practically joined at the hip, and . [200] Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to a ground-floor flat in Scunthorpe, where Huntley formally proposed to Carr in June 1999. 10 year old Jessica Chapman called over to see her friend Holly Wells. That involved at all costs protecting Ian Huntley. Both were arrested on suspicion of abduction and murder at 4:30a.m. on 17 August. 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. He tearfully claimed he had not attempted to feign insanity upon his arrest, insisting the trauma of the children's deaths had temporarily erased his memory and being in the presence of police had caused his mind to temporarily seize. THE shocking hidden truth about the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman is revealed by the News of the World in a sensational taped dossier. [166] He also viewed himself as something of a ladies' man, and was scrupulous about his personal appearance and personal hygiene.

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