The girlfriend of school caretaker, Ian Huntley, who was charged yesterday with the murders of 10-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, is due to appear in court this morning. Eithne Donnellan reports from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Teaching assistant Maxine Carr (25) was late last night charged with a single count of attempting to pervert the course of justice and remanded in custody, Cambridgeshire Police said.
Huntley (28) had also been due to appear before Peterborough Magistrates Court at 10 a.m. to answer two counts of murder. At 2 a.m. yesterday he was transferred from police custody to a high security mental hospital in Nottinghamshire.
Cambridgeshire police confirmed that following further assessment of his condition, he would not now be brought to court. His case would come before magistrates "when he is fit to attend". Police from Cambridgeshire headquarters in Huntingdon last night announced officers had travelled to the secure unit between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. yesterday to charge Mr Huntley with the murder of the schoolgirls, who vanished on August 4th while out walking in the village of Soham.
Their bodies were found in a wooded area in Suffolk, about 15 miles away, on Saturday.
Detective Chief Inspector of Cambridgeshire police, Mr Andy Hebb, said Mr Huntley had undergone a series of medical examinations since his arrest on Saturday. The last of these took place in the early hours of yesterday, he said.
"Upon a psychiatrist's recommendation, Ian Huntley was detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. At around 2 a.m. today he was transferred from police custody to a secure unit where he will undergo further assessment," Det Chief Insp Hebb said.
"Following lengthy discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service in Cambridgeshire, I can tell you that in the last hour detectives from this force have driven to the secure unit and have charged Ian Huntley with two counts of murder. He has been charged with the murder of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells," he added.
He confirmed Mr Huntley's case is listed to be heard by Peterborough Magistrates Court, some 35 miles from Soham. Details of the charges preferred had already been relayed to the parents of Holly and Jessica.
Ms Carr, a teaching assistant at the primary school attended by the children, lived with Mr Huntley at a house on the grounds of Soham Village College. Their home was one of a number of sites still being combed by forensic experts last night.
Meanwhile, the childrens' bodies are still being examined at a hospital in Cambridge. Post-mortem examinations on Monday proved inconclusive.
Mr Huntley is being held at Rampton High Security Mental Hospital in Nottinghamshire. It said in a statement: "Rampton Hospital, part of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, has today admitted a 28-year-old man for assessment after concerns were expressed regarding his fitness to be interviewed by Cambridgeshire Police. This man will remain in the hospital for an undetermined stay."