Couple quizzed over missing girls

A school caretaker and his girlfriend were today being questioned about the disappearance of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Officers were also searching their house in the girls’ home village of Soham in Cambridgeshire, and the local school, Soham Village College.

Ian Huntley, 28, and his partner Maxine Carr, 25, had agreed with police to give witness statements and were at police stations elsewhere in the county.

The news was announced at a hastily arranged news conference at the college 12 days after the two ten-year-olds vanished after walking through the village.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Hebb did not name Mr Huntley, a site manager at the College, and Ms Carr, a teaching assistant in Holly and Jessica’s class at St Andrews Primary School in Soham until the end of last term.

Reading from a prepared statement, Mr Hebb said: “In the last few minutes a 28-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, both from the Soham area, have been spoken to by police officers and have agreed to give witness statements to us.

"They have both been taken to police stations elsewhere in the county for that purpose.

"A police search team is about to start carrying out a detailed examination of their house in Soham for any evidence that may point to the whereabouts of the two missing girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

"A search is also about to be mounted in Soham Village College looking for similar evidence.

"In the circumstances it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment at this stage other than to say this development is one of many active and interesting lines of inquiry."

The searches were launched hours after DCI Hebb told reporters: "I do believe the piece of the jigsaw we’re looking for lies in or very close to Soham.

"We continue to work 24 hours a day to find that piece of evidence and to give us the breakthrough we desperately want."