BRITAIN: The woman accused of perverting the course of justice following the disappearance of British schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman will today answer questions via a prison video link as a crown court judge hears details of her case for the first time.
Ms Maxine Carr (25), of Soham, Cambridgeshire, will not make the journey to Peterborough Crown Court because authorities want to avoid a repeat of the scenes which surrounded her appearance before magistrates there a week ago.
On that occasion a crowd of about 500 people gathered outside and shouted abuse as Carr, a former teaching assistant in Holly and Jessica's class, arrived and left in a van.
Judge Nicholas Coleman yesterday decided to allow Carr to give video evidence from Holloway Prison in north London after hearing representations from lawyers in the case.
The judge said the prosecution had been behind the original application, backed by the defence lawyers, and that Carr had agreed to the move.
Meanwhile, the police yesterday gave the bodies of the two 10-year-old girls back to their families after failing to find how they died.
Best friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman vanished after wandering from a family barbecue in their home town of Soham in eastern England, wearing identical Manchester United T-shirts.
A two-week search shook Britain to the core, and news of the discovery and eventual identification of their bodies caused the greatest eruption of public grief and rage since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, five years ago.
Police said yesterday the bodies had been returned after the coroner failed to determine the cause of death, despite having examined them for 10 days. The coroner was still awaiting the results of toxicology tests which may yield more clues.
A school janitor and partner of Ms Carr, Mr Ian Huntley, has been charged with the girls' murder. Mr Huntley is being held in a secure psychiatric hospital for tests to see if he is competent to stand trial.
A church service, described as a "celebration" of the girls' lives, is to be held tomorrow in Ely, near Soham. A limited number of tickets, made available for Soham residents, was quickly taken. Police have asked others to stay away and watch the ceremony on TV. Funerals will follow over the weekend, which the families have asked to keep private. - (PA, Reuters)