Britain: The jury trying Ian Huntley for the murder of two schoolgirls heard yesterday of the carefree weekend that preceded their disappearance in August last year, and the heartbreaking anguish of their parents as their fears grew that something dreadful may have happened, writes Lynne O'Donnell, In London
In statements read in the Old Bailey's Court Number One, Nicola and Kevin Wells, and Leslie and Sharon Chapman recounted the frantic hours of Sunday, August 4th last year when their daughters failed to return home after going out together to buy sweets.
Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were found 13 days later, their torched and badly decomposed bodies dumped in a ditch not far from their homes in the Cambridgeshire village of Soham.
Mr Huntley (29) denies murdering the 10-year-old friends, but has pleaded guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice. His former fiancee, Maxine Carr (26), is not implicated in the murders, but has been charged with conspiring with Mr Huntley to provide him with an alibi.
The court heard that Jessica went to Holly's home on the morning of August 4th to give her a gift she had bough while on holiday with her family. The girls had played on Kevin Wells's computer, shared egg mayonnaise sandwiches for lunch, changed into matching football jerseys and joined in a family barbecue that evening.
After spending 40 minutes eating dinner, the girls went upstairs to Holly's bedroom, Mr Wells said. "This was the last time we saw the girls," he said.
While at Holly's home, Jessica had been in constant touch with her family to ask permission to stay for lunch and, later, dinner, and had been told by her mother to call when she was ready to leave so her father could come and collect her.
Mr and Mrs Wells said that because Holly and Jessica were sensible and reliable they had not been worried when the girls failed to re-appear by 8.20 p.m. because their curfew was 8.30 p.m. But when the girls had not returned by nine o'clock, Mrs Wells said, "I started to panic a bit." "At 9 p.m. I phoned Jessica's mother to ask if they were there. She said no," Mrs Wells said. By 9.30, she said: "I was getting a bit desperate." Kevin Wells went out to search for the girls.
Mr Wells said that he and two friends went to the grounds of the Soham Village College, where Mr Huntley was caretaker, at 4.30 a.m. and were surprised to see the lights of the caretaker's office on. He said Mr Huntley asked him: "How did you know to come here?" Describing another encounter with Mr Huntley, after a press conference organised by police to plea for the girls' safe return, Mr Wells said: "I was aware of somebody standing just behind my left shoulder, too close for comfort and invading my personal space. It was Ian Huntley." Mr Huntley said to him: "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise it was your daughter," Mr Wells said. He added: "I genuinely felt he was being sincere in offering his condolences."
The court heard that Miss Carr had been popular when she worked as a teaching assistant in Holly and Jessica's class at St Andrew's primary school in Soham. Jessica told her mother that Miss Carr was the "best teaching assistant ever" and Holly had made her a card and given her a gift at the end of term.
The girls' class teacher, Joy Pederson, took the witness box and told the court that Holly and Jessica were bright, mature, loyal and reliable and that, had they not been killed, she would have recommended them both as house captains for their final year at primary school.
The trial continues today.