Child murders: Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman-The Soham Murders
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Child protection is a serious subject. Sadly all too often we still read about acts of cruelty against children, often by the very people who should be caring for them. The sexual attack, assault or murder of children is a nasty subject. No-one wants to dwell on such evil but society needs to be prepared for such animals.
In August 2002 in the UK two beautiful young girls went missing. Their images were played constantly on TV and shown in the press. Those images were to haunt many for years to come. The family, parents and friends of these two girls were to be taken to that most dreadful place where no-one deserves to go.
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Jessica Aimee Chapman and Holly Marie Wells were ten year old girls. As good friends they often played together. When they went missing on 4th August 2002 all had been right with the world.
The two girls had attended a family barbecue at Holly's home, before going out to buy some sweets, or candy. It was a little after six that summer's evening which meant that it was still light and people were about and about. On the first daythat Holly and Jessica went missing a man's body was found in the vicinity on railway lines. Initially police thought this was a suicide and that in some way he was involved.
The red shirts that the girls are wearing in the image above were their beloved Manchester United Football team. David Beckham was played for Man U at the time made a televised appeal for the girls return. Efforts were to no avail.
For a couple of weeks the press speculation was high. The general public all hoped that the two girls would be found. Perhaps it was a prank? However, the girls background had nothing to indicate such behaviour.
Then on 17th August 2002 the partially burned bodies were found hidden in a six foot ditch, near Lakenheath, Suffolk.
When finally Ian Huntley, the school caretaker of Jessica and Holly's school was arrested the public were vaguely familiar with him. He had been seen on the news spouting about the girls and aiding the hunt to find the girls when they were missing.
Ultimately he was tried and sentenced for murder His partner Maxine Carr, who was a teaching assistant at the same school, was tried and sentence first. She had played no part in the girls deaths but her false alibi had delayed the arrest of Huntley. At the time of the deaths she was not far from my home town and nowhere near Huntley, in Soham.
The story goes that one of the girls, Holly, had a nose bleed and so Huntley took her into his bathroom to stem the flow of blood. As Huntley seemed to be the friendly, young, school caretaker they knew already, they probably felt safe doing so.
He claimed that the bath was full of water from bathing his dog earlier in the day. The girls sat on the bath and somehow or another Holly fell into the bath. Jessica jumped up screaming and in his attempt to stop her she was killed. This is Huntley's story of the events and only he knows how much truth there is in it.
After being refused to plead insanity, Huntley was tried and sentenced to two Life terms in prison, one for each of the girls. It is hoped that some day Huntley will reveal the truth about what happened. If he only serves the minimum sentence, forty years as recommended, he will ne 69 on release which some would say is not old enough.
The devastated families were left reeling and relationships suffered. Such tragedy is incomprehensible.
I do not intend to dwell on the nastiness of this case but would like to offer it as a reminder, in our Child based Hubmob. Almost by chance or is it circumstances, these two young girls just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet they were not acting any differently to the way most of us and your children would. It was a reasonable time of day and they were not playing in a secluded area.
Parents must stress the need for children to be vigilant.
Yes kids need to have a life and learn to be street wise, or else how will they survive adulthood. However, predators often succeed simply by chance. Don't let you and yours get caught out.
RIP Jessica and Holly.
Footnote: When I came to research this story, in order to make sure that I remembered the details correctly I cam across a website claiming that US army personnel based nearby in the UK where to blame. I have to say that I believe the people responsible were tried and found guilty. However reading the website was uncomfortable reading. I have linked it as, if it is any way true, it is yet more sad news for women and children.
Child protection
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CommentsLoading...
It is scary and sad.
This is a parent's worst nightmare. I have taught my kids to be watchful but this guy was someone they knew somewhat. That's scary. You can't really trust anyone. How awful.
It was a terrible crime
As a forner deputy sheriff I learned how calous , and cruel some criminals could be. God Bless you Dear Heart.
i reckon all the rapested ect need a slow paine full death so then can feel the paine its been along time since the girls lost there life, the famleys must still be goin though hell , the girls are gone but never forgotten, R.I.P Holly And Jessica x if i know the sick bloke i wud probley kill him
I know. These things must be stopped somehow
I am never without shock when I learn of murdered children. In my darkest nightmares, I fail to understand how such unspeakable things can be done to children.
May they rest in peace.
It's always sad to hear that someone has been murdered, but when it's children so young and innocent it's even more unsettling.
I live in the US so I had never even heard of this before now and don't know any details. I hope that the right people have been tried and are now serving time.
I wish the best for the families of these two little girls.
This is a great hub! It's very sad when stuff like that happens, and it happens more often than we think and in places that we would never think. :(
And now that man Huntley is considering suing the system for not protecting him...... Bring back Capital Punishment... Hang him!
Tears dropped as i read from top to bottom but in conclusion,all i am left with is WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HATEMONGERS in this planet Earth?
Nice hub,rated up and awesome...
Too true ocean
Very sad, and perhaps a good reminder for us all, that you can never be too vigilant nor teach your kids to be safe, etc.
Too true Wayne. Look at the Yorkshire Ripper.
I always say that these types of nutjobs who do this to kids, should be tortured with a heavy duty bunch of rusty tools and if there was a job going, I'd do it for free!
But then there are nutters who seem to never get caught until years later....
Thanks Dorsi. Writing and reading such hubs reminds you how cruel life can be.
This is so awful. I cannot even imagine what the family went, and is till, going through. TY for reminding us about being vigilant with our children.Even when we are vigilant though, monsters can prey upon our children, despite our best efforts. How very sad.
It is terrible I know. Perhaps awareness will help us to be more vigilant
Thanks, ehtel, for making us aware of these horrible tragedies.
I too despair of humanity at times but there are many good people still around. Huntley should never be released. Carr did serve a sentence but not long as I remember.
I reviewed the link and I believe that Huntley was trying to evade charges hoping that it would be blamed on the U.S. military. His eyes look shifty and what he did was horrific! It happens in the U.S. to and for some reason they never seem to get enough time behind bars, I believe Huntley should have recieved life without parole and the electric chair for the horrible crime he committed with those two young girls! We have a son and we are raising our 13 year-old niece and I could not fathom the pain that those parents endured. I hope that he does not get out at all, as for the girlfriend shame on her for trying to provide an alibi she was just as guilty as him and as far as I am concerned she should be doing a long stint too! Both do not deserve to be walking on this earth nor eating or breathing for that matter! This story broke my heart I will never understand why people do the things they do. :(
Its difficult I know Katie and a shame that kids cannot be friendly. However you are right. I think it has to mean with a woman also, sadly
ethel, Thanks for delivering this very important story. Bottom line is I feel given the horror of such facts we should teach our children (as I do my own daughters) to NEVER go into a private area with ANY man EVER, of course there are exceptions but in general few... Thanks and Peace :)
Thanks for your comments mquee and the visit
When will the world learn, that children are our most valuable asset. These days, children have so many deterents to a good and happy life thrown in their path. It seems that predators are everywhere looking to make victims of our children. It is even sadder that so many perpetrators have been trusted by victims and their families. We need more hubs like this, as sad as the situation may be, just so that we are all aware and to keep us on alert.
Yes that's definitely a big wirry Iris.
Premier I read that he has attempted suicide on more than one occasion.
These stories bother me if only because the perpetrator is someone known and not a stranger.
No punishment is great enough for this type of crime. I hear he is getting a rough time in prison though.
Thnks Billy. I did not want to sensationlise this dreadful story. I have written about a couple of local murders before and been contacted by relatives afterward. They were ok with what I had written but it was a reminder that familes and friends have open wounds for many years after such a tragedy.
What a horrible story Ethel - you have presented it well and as a reminder of all our duties as parents and members of our communities to protect our children. I can't imagine what went through the parent's minds and of other parents minds from that community while the killers were at large.
What astute comments HP
Awful crime committed over two little girls is unforgettable. Children are the future of the Nation as well as the Globe – and a glow of human creature. Any kind of torture over any children is an insult over humanity.
Izzy I too think that Huntley was involved but nothing would surprise me. That link was uncomfortable reading but I think needed to be read.
Ethel I read that link you left, and something is ringing a bell. I've been doing a lot of research about paedos in Tony Blair's government, and have come across cases of activists being locked up in pschyciatric hospitals in Scotland for doing so. Either the conspiracy theorists are working overtime, or there really is a massive cover-up of shady govt practices inthe UK. Seems the US intelligence services know about the paedophile ring involving the UK govt - and it WAS on the news before the news blackout was reported...remember Operation Ore? Catching the internet paedos who used their credit cards to pay for kiddie porn? Only thing is the timing. Did the Jessica/Holly case happen before or after? I suspect after. One way or another, the govt is terrified of upsetting the US in case they spill the beans.
I did not even know that this US base was so near to where the girls' bodies were found! And I remember this tragic case so well. It was in all the papers, and yet the closeness of the bases didn't make the news?
The Press are controlled - I have known that for a number of years and that is scarey. So much a having a free country!
Not saying Huntly and Carr are innocent, but I have to say it is starting to look that way. I do remember he couldn't, or wouldn't, say exactly how they died.
Maybe he didn't know?
Thanks all. I guess Polly that we have to learmn kids to trust someone and identify the threats but what a task. Perhaps if you son could walk to school with a group of friends it would be a good compromise.
It is understandabel that these days some children are taught to trust no-oe, but that is very sad really.Take care all.
Thank you, ethel, for a well written hub. You really have a gift of handling such a terrible subject so well. It is the greatest worry any parent has and very hard to procted a child all the time. As this case shows, a caretaker form the school, naturally children trust them. Especially these days it much be a nightmare.
What a tragedy! I worry about stuff like this all the time with my grands.
Oh how awful.
Hi Ethel - your hub sent me straight back to 2002, when this awful crime was committed, and the times I watched the broadcasts and prayed that these two little girls would be found safe and well. Sadly, as we know, this was not to be. (I do think it likely that they got the right person, btw).
On the topic of 'protecting our children', your article makes me think again about my own child, who will be ten next week and thus exactly the same age as Jessica and Holly. Recently, he has acquired a new level of independence - walking most of the way to school on his own (that isn't very far), walking to the shop around the corner to buy chocolate etc. He knows not to converse or go anywhere with strangers, and I am pretty positive that he would be extremely wary if somebody he did not know tried to cooerce him into going somewhere.
However, what about if it was someone from school, like the caretaker (who is a woman and all the children know her well). Or a lollipop man or woman? (At his school the lollipop lady knows all the children and used to even give them cheap toys sometimes). Not that I think that either of these people present any danger at all to the children, if fact I would almost bet my life that they are good people. But the point is, children (and adults)trust people like this. And like you say, it all comes down to circumstances - it only takes one psychotic person and somebody's child to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thankfully, these cases are very rare, and I still believe that we have to allow our children a certain amount of freedom and independence if we want them to grow up into well adjusted young people.
jacqueline oconnor 5 weeks ago
izzy i also know about operation ore, but in connection with madeleine mccann, cover up right from top