Police knew Huntley was “serial sex attacker”
Police knew Soham killer Ian Huntley was a “serial sex attacker” three years before he murdered Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
But a report on his rape allegations was deleted by Humberside Police a year and half before Huntley was allowed to work as a school caretaker in Soham, the Bichard inquiry has discerned.
The inquiry into the death of the 10-year olds is chaired by Sir Michael Bichard. It was set up to examine the systemic failure in vetting procedures that allowed Huntley to work as a caretaker at Soham Village College.
In PC Mick Harding’s report into the allegation of rape against Huntley in Grimsby, he said it was clear Huntley was a serial sex attacker and “at liberty to continue his activities”.
“It may well be that other women have been forced to have sex with him after night-club smooches and have decided not to report him,” the report added.
The report was received by Humberside divisional intelligence on July 29th, 1999.
But in July 2000 it was deleted from Humberside’s Criminal Intelligence System (CIS) database, as part of a “weeding” process to protect the force against complaints of misuse under the Data Protection Act.
The report added: “The above named has come to the attention of Grimsby CID in four separate rape inquiries. Huntley on all these occasions has targeted women that he knows or has befriended, usually in nightclubs.
“He either accompanies them home or walks with them and then rapes them.”
The hearing continues on Monday.
