R vs HUNTLEY and CARR ( The SOHAM MURDERS , 2003 )

DAILY MAIL online

17th DEC , 2003

Soham murders: Huntley guilty

 

Former Soham caretaker Ian Huntley has been given two life sentences for the murders of 10-year-old schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells.

As the Foreman read the jury's verdicts, Huntley bowed his head.

As Mr Justice Moses sentenced Ian Huntley, standing in the dock, he told him: "You showed no mercy and you showed no regret."

"You are the only person who knows how you murdered them."

He said Huntley had increased the suffering of his victims' families with his lies and deceit.

The judge said Huntley had shown "persistent cruelty" and "merciless cynicism".

He said: "Your tears have never been for them, only for yourself."

 

Carr sentenced

 

Huntley's former partner Maxine Carr was given three and a half years after being found guilty of conspiring with Huntley to pervert the course of justice.

Carr was found not guilty of assisting Huntley in relation to the death of Jessica Chapman.

She was told by Mr Justice Moses that she will serve half of her sentence in jail, and the remainder on licence.

Addressing Carr he said: "You had plenty of opportunity to refuse to persist in a course of lying and deception. You chose not to.

"If you had the slightest true regard for those girls or families you would have told the truth."

The jury of seven women and five men rejected 29-year-old Huntley's claim that the best friends died accidentally at his home, 5 College Close, in Soham on August 4 last year.

 

Majority verdict

 

All the guilty verdicts were reached by a majority of 11-1 by the jury within an hour of the judge telling them he would accept majority decisions.

As the jury filed back in to deliver their verdicts not a sound could be heard around the public gallery or throughout the court.

In the back row, the family of Holly Wells held hands and waited for what they had been desperate to hear - the jury foreman telling the court Huntley had been found guilty of both murders.

A hushed "yes" resounded around the courtroom.

For some of the relatives of Huntley's victims, the relief turned to tears as a 16-month long ordeal came to an end.

 

Sentence decided next year

 

The minimum period Ian Huntley will stay in jail will not be decided until next year.

Evil Huntley will not be covered by tough new sentencing rules which create a compulsory new "life means life" tariff for multiple murderers, effectively ensuring they die in jail. The new regulations come into effect on December 18.

 

Murderer: Ian Huntley

Huntley, the caretaker at Soham Village College, claimed the 10-year-olds, wearing their Manchester United shirts went inside the college-owned three-bedroom detached house because Holly had a nosebleed.

He tried to convince the jury during more than two days of testimony that Holly drowned in the bath and that he killed Jessica as he tried to silence her screams.

But the Old Bailey jury took over 17 hours to conclude he was lying.

The Old Bailey jury deliberated for three days since being sent out by trial judge Mr Justice Moses just after 11am on Friday.

 

Police reaction

 

Temporary Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Stevenson, the senior police chief who led the murder inquiry, said that Huntley "will pay for his actions for the rest of his life".

Huntley "concocted the most incredible and unbelievable" story to cover up their deaths, the police chief told reporters.

He went on: "Ian Huntley is a dangerous man. He is a calculating and callous child killer.

"Only he knows why he murdered Jessica and Holly," he said.

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Crown Prosecution Service said: "We are pleased justice has been achieved for these two little girls."

 

AND...................

 

Two life sentences for Huntley

 

Evil school caretaker Ian Huntley has been jailed for life for the brutal murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

As he faced up to serving the rest of his life behind bars, Mr Justice Moses told him: "You are the only person who knows how you murdered them." He said Huntley "showed no regret" after the murders and had increased the suffering of his victims' families with his lies and deceit.

Huntley's accomplice, former fiancee Maxine Carr was sentenced to three and a half years for conspiring with Huntley to pervert the course of justice. She will serve half that sentence and time in custody will be taken into account.

Addressing Huntley the judge said: "You murdered them both, you were the only person who knows how you murdered them."

The judge said Huntley had shown "persistent cruelty" and "merciless cynicism". He said: "Your tears have never been for them, only for yourself. In your lies and manipulation up to this very day you have increased the suffering you have caused the two families."

Addressing Maxine Carr he said: "You had plenty of opportunity to refuse to persist in a course of lying and deception. You chose not to. If you had the slightest true regard for those girls or families you would have told the truth."

The jury at the Old Bailey found Huntley guilty on both counts of murder after retiring to consider their verdicts four days ago.

The jury of seven women and five men rejected 29-year-old Huntley's claim that the best friends died accidentally at his home, 5 College Close, in Soham on August 4 last year.

Huntley, the caretaker at Soham Village College, claimed the 10-year-olds, wearing their Manchester United shirts went inside the college-owned three-bedroom detached house because Holly had a nosebleed.

He tried to convince the jury during more than two days of testimony that Holly drowned in the bath and that he killed Jessica as he tried to silence her screams. But the Old Bailey jury took just over 17 hours to conclude he was lying.