News

• Social services admits handling of Huntley was "totally inadequate"
• Social services "arranged" for girl to stay with Huntley
• Executive orders new checks on people working with children
• Child protection committee orders review of Huntley cases
• Huntley convicted of murdering Holly and Jessica

North East Lincolnshire social services has defended its actions in five cases of alleged sexual contact with under-age girls involving Soham murderer Ian Huntley, writes David Callaghan.

Social workers were involved in or aware of five cases, including an alleged indecent assault on an 11-year-old girl, but in each case the girl did not want to make a complaint against Huntley.

Four of the girls, one who was 13 and the others 15, regarded Huntley as a boyfriend briefly in 1995-6 when he was in Grimsby. The indecent assault allegation was investigated by the police in 1998, but no prosecution followed.

Darren Shaw, deputy director of child care for North East Lincolnshire Council, said that once the girls decided not to complain there was nothing else the social workers could have done apart from recommend the girls saw a GP.

He said Humberside police force, which was informed of each case except one involving a 15-year-old girl based on rumour, would have been expected to look into Huntley’s past. Each case was in a different part of the council’s area, and was dealt with by a different social worker.“

Even with the benefit of hindsight there is nothing we could have done differently,” he said.

“The responsibility of the children’s service is to help and support children and young people. Huntley was an adult and was not our client. The council had no power to take action in relation to Huntley.”

He also said there was nothing in any dealings social services had with Huntley to suggest he could be a killer.

The school in Soham where Huntley and Maxine Carr worked did not approach North East Lincolnshire Council for any information before he was employed, and the council would not have expected an approach because neither was employed by the council.

Huntley was convicted of murdering Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman at the Old Bailey, and has been given a life sentence for each murder. Maxine Carr was cleared of assisting an offender, but convicted of conspiring to pervert the course of justice. She was given a three-and-a-half year jail sentence.