Ian Huntley today said he ‘could not believe’ how
Ian Huntley today said he ‘could not believe’ how schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman died in his home.
The parents of both girls listened in court as he described how within minutes the ten year-olds were lying lifeless on his bathroom floor.
Huntley, 29, said he ‘panicked and froze’ after Holly fell into the bath.
He then put his hand over Jessica’s mouth to silence her screams, the court heard.
Huntley said he next remembered being sat in the corner staring at her dead body.
He told the jury: ‘I remember thinking about what to do and I was thinking of calling the police.
‘But I couldn’t believe what had happened and I kept thinking ”How do you explain this to the police if you can’t believe what’s happened yourself.
‘
Instead he decided to load Holly and Jessica into the boot of his car and drive off into the night, the court heard.
Huntley admitted he had been ‘slightly annoyed’ that his fiancee Maxine Carr was going out that night in Grimsby while he was left at home.
But he denied he deliberately lured the girls into his house.
He said he did not really think about the school rules banning children from 5 College Close.
Huntley told how he had been cleaning the mud from the coat of his German Shepherd Sadie on his doorstep after she ran away after another dog.
‘She was in a real mess, she was very wet, muddy, and she had these sticky things stuck to her.
‘I knelt down on the doorstep directly behind the car.
‘I heard voices and I stood up to look and there was two girls in Manchester United tops stood to the front side of my car.
‘
His barrister Stephen Coward QC asked: ‘Did you know by sight either of the girls?’
He replied: ‘I didn’t recall them at the time.
It wasn’t until I spoke to Maxine later she told me on one occasion I cleared them off the field.
‘
‘Jessica, she asked how Miss Carr was and she said Miss Carr because I found it quite funny because I am not used to hear Maxine referred to in that way.
‘I just said she wasn’t very good and she had gone away for a few days to relax.
‘
Huntley added: ‘I assumed from what they said they were in her year.
‘I told them she didn’t get the job.
They just asked me if I could tell her that Jessica and Holly had called round and to tell Miss Carr they were sorry.
‘
He then told how he noticed Holly had a ‘small blood smear’ under her nose.
‘I asked her if she would like some tissue for her nose.
She said ”Yes please.
”
Huntley said he pointed to the rim of his boot and said: ”Plonk your bottoms on there, I will go and get some tissue.
”
He said he had to go and get the tissue from his upstairs bathroom because he needed to put the dog in the downstairs toilet.
‘I wouldn’t say it was a bad nosebleed but there was a lot of blood there and I asked if they wanted to come inside to get some wet tissue on her nose.
‘
Mr Coward asked: ‘It may be suggested in due course that you had a plan to lure the girls into the house, did you?’
Huntley replied: ‘No.
I suggested it, they agreed.
It was just purely to remedy the nosebleed.
‘
He took them into his living room and left them on the couch to get some more toilet paper, the court heard.
Huntley said they then talked about a Playstation computer game ‘Grand Theft Auto’.
He added: ‘I told them they was too young to play that type of game, an 18 certificate.
‘We went upstairs to the bathroom.
‘Holly’s nose wasn’t getting any better and I thought it would be a good idea to have soaking cold water to the nose.
‘I have very basic first aid and I believed that’s what you do.
‘
Holly and Jessica then sat on the edge of the bath while he wet tissue to put on Holly’s nose, the jury was told.
Huntley said the bath was about eight inches full of water because he had run water to clean the dog.
‘I passed the tissue to Holly.
She was leaning forward over the sink.
‘Jessica asked if she could sue the toilet.
I said ”Yes,”.
‘We went to the bedroom and Holly sat on the edge of the bed and as she sat on the bed a drop of blood did actually drop onto the sheet.
‘
Jessica finished in the toilet and the two girls looked around a spare room next to the bathroom, the court heard.
The girls then returned to sit on the bath, said Huntley.
‘I went to pass Holly some more tissue and as I.
.
.
as I.
.
.
I’m not really sure how it happened.
‘I slipped and lost my footing and went forward in the direction of Holly.
‘It happened very quickly.
Huntley said he could not remember touching Holly but added: ‘She fell backwards.
‘I heard a splash.
‘
He said he did not expect or plan for her to go into the bath.
Mr Coward asked: ‘What is the next sound you remember hearing?’
Huntley replied: ‘That would be Jessica.
She was screaming and shouting: ”You pushed her,” over and over.
Loud.
‘When Holly fell into the bath I was stood there waiting for some movement, to wait for her to get up.
‘There was no movement.
I just panicked and froze.
‘I couldn’t think.
Stood here, it’s logical just to pull somebody out of the bath especially when they are not moving.
‘There was no logical thoughts, I just couldn’t think.
‘I think it might have been a combination of two things I think, panic and screaming.
‘All I know is I was very panicky.
‘
Mr Coward asked: ‘What did you do next?’
Huntley replied: ‘I went over to Jessica, she was stood near the doorway.
‘I put my hand over her mouth.
I don’t’ know whether I placed the other hand to restrain her.
I don’t know.
‘
‘What were you trying to do?’ asked Mr Coward.
Huntley said: ‘Stop her from screaming so that I could think.
‘At some point it hit me what I should be doing.
To get Holly out of the bath.
‘
He said he let go of Jessica and she fell to the floor as he went to get Holly out of the bath.
‘To be honest, it didn’t really register that much, my main priority was to get Holly out of the bath.
‘I went over the the bath and pulled Holly out of the bath, placed her on the floor at the side of the bath.
‘
Neither girl was moving or had a pulse in the wrist or neck, he said.
‘What were you thinking at that instant?’ asked Mr Coward.
Huntley replied: ‘I don’t know.
‘
He said he next remembered waking up next to a pile of vomit on the landing carpet.
‘I was sat in the corner of the landing, just looking at Jessica.
‘
He said he did not try to give either girl resuscitation.
‘Holly had gone a strange colour.
Jessica, I felt for signs of life and felt none.
‘And to be honest, I weren’t quite sure what to do.
‘
Huntley said if he was faced with the situation agin he would get Holly out of the bath.
‘If I had pulled Holly out of the bath and got her to consciousness, everything would have been OK.
‘
Huntley said he did not call either the police or the ambulance and added: ‘It was a decision I regretted, in the early hours of Monday morning.
‘
He added: ‘I knew I had to get the girls out of the house.
‘
He took Jessica’s mobile phone out of her pocket and put it in his trousers.
Huntley then told how he carried the two bodies, still dressed in their Manchester United shirts, downstairs to his hallway.
‘I moved Holly round the corner of the stairs so when I opened the door, she couldn’t be seen.
‘I opened the door, had a look outside, couldn’t see anybody.
‘I opened the boot of my car.
‘
He then took the girls out of his house, put them into his boot and locked it, the jury heard.
‘I have no idea of the time.
I didn’t know where I was going to take them.
‘I was just driving, I didn’t have a destination in mind.
‘
The caretaker at Soham Village College admits dumping the bodies in a ditch near the RAF base in Lakenheath, Suffolk.
Huntley also admits setting fire to the corpses.
The scorched remains of the two girls’ Manchester United shirts, tracksuit bottoms, trainers and underwear were discovered in a bin at Soham College two weeks later.
Huntley denies two charges of murder between August 4 and August 17, 2002.
He admits conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
His fiancee Maxine Carr, 26, denies two charges of assisting an offender between August 3 and 18, and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice on August 4 and 5, last year.
Carr, who was a teaching assistant in Holly and Jessica’s class, allegedly lied about being in Soham at the time of the killings.
She was actually 100 miles away in Grimsby.
The trial continues.
ends
