Sports fans remember murdered schoolgirls

Murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were today set to be remembered at sporting events across the country in poignant one minute silences.

Football fans across the Premiership, Nationwide League and Conference were to fall silent before kick-off to pay tribute to the two 10-year-olds.

Last night England captain David Beckham led the first of the silences as Manchester United took on Chelsea.

The midfielder - whose replica shirt the schoolgirls were wearing when they went missing from their homes in Soham, Cambs - bowed his head and shut his eyes as the silence was immaculately observed at Stamford Bridge.

After the match Beckham described the minute’s silence as “special”.

“The whole nation is grieving at the moment and it’s an upsetting time,” he told Sky Sports.

“Our thoughts go to the families, of course, and it was just nice to score a goal tonight – that meant a lot to me.”

Asked if he was dedicating his goal to the girls, Beckham replied: “Of course.”

“To see the two little girls with my shirt on was pretty nice and I’m sure the whole game was dedicated to the two girls.”

Today, England’s cricket test match against India was also due to remember the girls whose bodies were found close to a path near Lakenheath, Suffolk a week ago today.

Yesterday an inquest heard that the girlfriend of the man accused of the girls’ double murder could face “further serious charges” in connection with their deaths.

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 where their remains were found.

Flowers continued to be left near the spot, 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.

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.

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 attend a hearing at Peterborough Crown Court next 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.

Searches at Soham Village 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.

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.

Meanwhile it emerged that the Prince of Wales had written a personal letter of condolence to the families of the 10-year-olds.

St James’s Palace refused to disclose the contents of the letter adding: “The Prince does write in a private and personal basis from time to time but that is a private matter.”

Andrew Short, 26, a family friend of Kevin and Nicola Wells, said: “It makes it that little bit easier for them. It won’t change anything but it does make it that bit easier. It’s those things which help them get up in the morning.”

He added: “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?”’.