Home of Soham accused 'very clean'

The home of Soham accused Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr was “very clean” with little sign of smells such as dog or cigarettes, the court heard today.

A detective who went to take a statement from Carr on August 10, six days after Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman disappeared, described how she was amazed at how clean the house was.

The court has already heard numerous witnesses describing cleaning attempts or the fresh smell in the house when visited which has being described during the murder trial as “the ultimate spring clean”.

In his opening, Richard Latham QC, told the jury it was unlikely that Huntley would dispute the two girls died in his house.

Huntley denies the murder of the two ten-year-olds but admits conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

Carr denies two counts of assisting an offender and one count of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

Today Detective Constable Michele Hope, of Suffolk Police says she went to the house – 5 College Close – to take a statement from Carr.

She said the house was very clean and that although she saw a dog there, there was no other sign that it was a house with a dog in it.

She said: “I was quite amazed that it didn’t smell of dog in the house.

“It was a long-haired dog as well and there didn’t appear to be any hairs around either.”

Huntley was smoking but the house did not smell of cigarettes even though his ashtray was full, the court heard.

Later Det Con Stephen Long, who accompanied Det Con Hope, told how he had a discussion with Huntley on how on a previous occasion someone had tried to destroy DNA evidence with bleach.

A previous witness to the trial told how the house smelt lemony-fresh while another said they saw Carr scrubbing the kitchen tiles and complaining because the tile paint was coming off, because she was scrubbing so hard.

Another witness said they saw washing on the line outside even though it was raining heavily.