Murdered girls' families leave town for anniversary of deaths

THE families of murdered Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman cannot face being there on the first anniversary of the deaths, police said yesterday.

Instead they plan to spend tomorrow away from the Cambridgeshire town and its memories.

On August 4 last year Holly and Jessica, both 10, vanished shortly after being seen walking near their homes. Their bodies were found in a ditch near Lakenheath, Suffolk, two weeks later. Police said yesterday: "The parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman will be spending the anniversary with their immediate families away from the Soham area.