Huntley arrives to face murder charges

The man charged with the murders of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman today arrived at court for his first hearing.

Ian Huntley, 28, arrived at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court as a major police operation swung into operation with more than 50 police officers assembled in case of trouble.

The former caretaker, from Soham, Cambs, left Rampton high security hospital in Nottinghamshire at 7.30am after three weeks of assessment.

A ring of steel barriers had been erected outside the court to hold back the crowds.

Around 500 people turned out to see Huntley’s girlfriend Maxine Carr, 25, arrive for her court appearance three weeks ago.

They screamed abuse and hurled eggs as Carr - accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice - was driven from the hearing.

Huntley, the former caretaker at Soham Village College, is charged with murdering the 10-year-old girls, who lived in the Cambridgeshire town, but his first court appearance was delayed by concerns over his mental state.

He had been held at Rampton for assessment since August 20, the day he was charged.

Huntley, originally from Grimsby, was appearing for a short procedural hearing which will not involve him making a plea.

In an unusual move under the fast-track system, he will then make his second appearance almost immediately. He will appear minutes later before Judge Nicholas Coleman sitting at the magistrates court.

Huntley arrived at court in a police van with blackened windows. There were a few shouts from a small crowd of around 20 onlookers but no serious problems.

Sean Lightfoot, 31, of Peterborough, a father of two, said: “I’m here to show my support for the families of Holly and Jessica.

“I hope they know that people like me are here so that we never forget the two girls.”

Mr Lightfoot added: “It’s awful what happened and we all need to show solidarity.”

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Police said: “People always have a right to protest, as long as it’s lawful. Our job is to manage that.”

Holly and Jessica vanished on August 4 shortly after being seen walking near their homes in Soham.

Their bodies were found close to a track near RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, on August 17. Police spent weeks searching the site before reopening it to the public on Sunday night.

They are continuing to search at Huntley’s cottage on the edge of the school grounds, and at a garage and storage building nearby.

The work has been shielded from the public view by a roof-high green fence and trees.

Carr made her second appearance at court via a video-link from Holloway prison in London.