Soham jury hears from searchers
The jury in the Soham murders trial heard today that suspect Ian Huntley was sighted by Holly Wells’ father and his colleague three times as they hunted for the schoolgirls on the night they vanished.
Scott Day told the Old Bailey that he drove Kevin Wells around for most of the night after the 10-year-olds vanished.
The pair spotted Mr Huntley walking his dog near the local sports centre at 23:00 BST and met him again at 04:30 BST at the school, where he told them he had not seen the girls.
On the eighth day of the trial, Mr Day explained that his business partner Kevin Wells phoned him after the girls disappeared to ask for his help in searching the area.
Along with another friend, Robert Wright, Mr Day said that the men continued the search in the Burwell area, before returning to Soham Village College, where they met Mr Huntley with his dog.
Mr Day told the court that Mr Huntley said he had not seen the girls and was at the school to write a note to say he’d be late for work the next day because he had worked through the night.
Mr Huntley told them that the police with tracker dogs had already been through the school searching for the girls.
Mr Day said he knew of the accused but didn’t know him personally.
Around 12 witnesses involved in the search for Holly and Jessica are expected to give evidence.
Townspeople, police officers and officials from Soham Village College, where Mr Huntley worked as a caretaker, are listed to give evidence.
Best friends Holly and Jessica went missing from their hometown of Soham, Cambridgeshire on August 4th 2002.
Their bodies were found almost two weeks later, on August 17th, in a ditch near RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
Former caretaker Ian Huntley, 29, denies two counts of murder but has pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
His ex-girlfriend Maxine Carr, 26, denies attempting to pervert the course of justice and assisting an offender.
