Carr could face further charges

THE girlfriend of the man accused of the double murder of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman could face "further serious charges" in connection with their deaths, an inquest heard today.

Carr could face further charges

Maxine Carr, 25, is charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice in connection with the killings but an inquest into the deaths was told further charges could not be ruled out.

It heard that the 10-year-olds' bodies were found in a "severely decomposed and skeletonised" state at the bottom of a ditch and that the youngsters almost certainly had not died at the remote spot near Lakenheath, Suffolk, where their remains were found.

Flowers continued to be left at the roadside beside the spot today, as plans for a massive memorial service for the girls at Ely Cathedral were announced.

The service next Friday will be one of celebration and remembrance, with almost 2,000 people attending on a ticket-only basis, in accordance with the wishes of the two families.

The order of service has not yet been finalised but a police family liaison officer has been asked to read a poem during the service.

Funerals for the two best friends will be held separately and the families have asked for them to be completely private. The Chapmans have asked for Jessica to be cremated and the Wells family for Holly to be buried.

The funerals will not be for some time as forensics tests are continuing to try to pinpoint the cause of death. Initial postmortem examinations found the cause of death was "unascertainable due to decomposition", the inquest heard.

The coroner for south and west Cambridgeshire David Morris said he and his officers felt a sense of "tremendous grief" about the deaths and praised police for their investigation.

He questioned the worth of high value reward offers, such as those made by some national newspapers, which he suggested had drawn bounty hunters to Soham.

"People from far afield were witnessed walking in the countryside in the hope of finding the bodies and expressed that as their reason for their visit," he said, adding that he hoped the Home Secretary would review recent events with a view to lessening trauma for families involved.

His coroner's officer, Tracy Smith, told him: "You were advised that although Maxine Carr had been charged with the offence of attempting to pervert the course of justice, further inquiries were continuing and further serious charges against her could not be ruled out."

Carr, 25, was remanded in custody when she appeared before Peterborough magistrates this week and will appear in Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday.

Her boyfriend, college caretaker Ian Huntley, 28, was charged with two counts of murder and detained at Rampton Hospital while psychiatric tests are carried out.

He has since been sacked from his job as caretaker at Soham Village College after governors decided it would be "untenable" for him to return under any circumstances, regardless of the outcome of any criminal proceedings.

The house he shared with Carr in the grounds of the college will be boarded up and hidden behind a security screen once a police search is completed and will probably be demolished once legal proceedings are finished.

Searches at the college, the neighbouring primary school which Holly and Jessica attended and the spot where their bodies were found are still continuing and are expected to last for at least a week.

Education bosses are preparing contingency plans in case pupils cannot return to the site at the beginning of term because of the searches, and a telephone helpline set up to provide support to pupils and their families will continue to run over the weekend.

Searches have been completed at Huntley's father's home in Littleport and at his grandmother's bungalow in Lakenheath, Suffolk, some four miles from the spot where the bodies were found, although forensic testing is still being carried out on items seized.

Huntley's father Kevin, 47, has reportedly said he has lost his job - also as a school caretaker - and his house since his son was arrested.

Mr Huntley was the caretaker at a junior school in Littleport and his house came with the job. His wife Lynda was a cleaner at the school.

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesman said neither had been sacked but said their positions were being reviewed.

"Kevin Huntley has not been dismissed however we think that given the circumstances it would be inappropriate for him to return to Littleport as a caretaker, or indeed to any school," he said.

"We are reviewing their positions."

Andrew Short, 26, a family friend of Kevin and Nicola Wells, said: "I spoke to Kevin last night and he said they were bearing up under the circumstances. He said: 'What choices have we got? Do we lay in bed all day and cry ourselves to sleep or do we carry on?'.

And football fans and players were preparing their own personal tribute to the girls - a minute's silence before their games over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The first of the silent tributes took place at Chelsea's game against Manchester United - Holly and Jessica's favourite team - at Stamford Bridge last night.

Teams from the FA Premiership, Nationwide League, Conference and other supporting leagues will all hold a minute's silence before their games this weekend in memory of the girls, who were last seen wearing Manchester United tops with their idol David Beckham's name and number on them.

FA director of marketing and communications Paul Barber said: "The whole nation has been shocked and saddened by the deaths of Holly and Jessica.

"The girls' love of football is well known and everyone connected with the game is keen to pay their respects to Holly and Jessica and offer their condolences to the girls' families and friends at the same time."

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