Huntley 'may have been stealing from college'

Ian Huntley may have been stealing from Soham Village College, the school’s head said today.

College principle Howard Gilbert said amounts of petty cash and other items had gone missing during Huntley’s nine months as caretaker. Mr Gilbert said he had no proof but now wondered whether Huntley had been responsible.

It emerged yesterday that Huntley had appeared in court accused of burgling a neighbour’s house when he lived in Grimsby, Humberside.

He was not convicted because of concerns raised about his police interviews, but a judge said the case should lie on file.

Police failed to find the case on the Police National Computer when they checked Huntley’s record after he applied to be a school caretaker.

Mr Gilbert said had he known about the burglary he would not have employed Huntley, because a caretaker’s primary responsibility was for security.

“We did have a number of thefts – things go missing – during the time Huntley was with us,” said Mr Gilbert.

“Various items from the school, small amounts of cash, that sort of thing. We never got to the bottom of it.

“I do wonder now whether he might have been responsible. I didn’t think it at the time. I’ve only thought about it recently since I heard that he’d been to court accused of burglary. It makes you wonder.”