There were angry scenes outside a courthouse in Cambridgeshire yesterday when men, women and children shouted abuse as a police van ferried the 25-year-old woman accused of giving false information to police investigating the murder of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
A crowd of up to 500 people turned up at Peterborough Magistrates Court hoping to get a glimpse of Ms Maxine Carr, the woman who worked as an teaching assistant in the village of Soham, where the children lived. They disappeared while out for a walk on August 4th and their bodies were found two weeks later in woodland about 15 miles away.
Although she was travelling in a van with blacked-out windows, the crowd screamed at Ms Carr and eggs were thrown at the van.
Among the onlookers were a number carrying banners and placards. One man's placard read "Bring back hanging now". Another said "Rot in Hell".
A heavy security presence tried to keep the crowds back but some got into scuffles with police when they broke through the cordon to bang on the van windows.
Ms Sheila Vitas complained that there were up to 60 police holding the crowds back. "They are protecting her. Where is the protection for our children?" People were angry that Mr Ian Huntley did not appear in court too. He is being detained in a psychiatric hospital for assessment.