Soham murder accused admits killing Jessica Chapman

Ian Huntley, the man accused of murdering two 10-year-old schoolgirls in Soham last August, has today admitted that he was responsible for the death of Jessica Chapman.

Mr Huntley, who denies murdering the girls, was in the witness box at the Old Bailey today to give evidence during the second day of the defence case.

Facing questions over the events surrounding the deaths of the two girls at his home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, he testified that Holly Wells suffered a nosebleed shortly after she and Jessica Chapman called at his home to see his then girlfriend, Maxine Carr, who was a teacher at the school.

Mr Huntley said that he brought the children into his house and into an upstairs toilet to fetch some tissue paper for Holly. However, Holly accidentally fell into the bath, he claimed.

Mr Huntley went on to testify that he became distracted and Jessica began to scream. During this time, he claimed that Holly drowned in the bath.

The court was then told that the accused placed a hand over Jessica's mouth to stop her screaming, whilst perhaps restraining her with the other. Shortly afterwards, Mr Huntley said that he realised Jessica had stopped breathing.

It was put to the defendant: "You had killed her, hadn't you?"

To which, Mr Huntley replied: "Yes."

However, at one stage during questions from prosecuting counsel Richard Latham QC, Mr Huntley appeared to lose his temper when it was suggested to him that he had in fact forced Holly under the water in the bath and deliberately killed her.

Mr Latham said that, according to Mr Huntley's version of events, it would have been instinctive for the accused to pull the girl from the bath and save her from drowning, but that he had not done so.

An emotional, Mr Huntley replied: "In these circumstances it is very rational to know what you're doing. In those circumstances, it is not so rational. Believe me, I know."

Mr Latham said: "You can be perfectly assertive when you want to Mr Huntley."

To which, Mr Latham later added: "You have lost your temper with me, haven’t you?"

Mr Huntley affirmed that he had, but it was then put to him that he had also lost his temper with one of the two girls on the evening that they died.

Mr Huntley denied that he had.

Yesterday, Mr Huntley told the court that he disposed of the girls' clothing and burned their bodies in a ditch in Lakenheath, in Suffolk.

Ian Huntley has admitted to one charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, but denies murder.

His former girlfriend, Maxine Carr, denies charges of assisting an offender and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues at the Old Bailey.

(gmcg)