Soham accused 'made up story to fit facts'
Ian Huntley conducted a “cold blooded analysis” of the prosecution case and invented a story to fit the facts, his Old Bailey murder trial was told today.
Prosecution counsel Richard Latham QC, in his cross examination of Huntley, alleged that he had carefully read papers served on his legal team and then constructed his version of events.
He said the first summary of the case against Huntley was served on September 10 last year while he was at Rampton security hospital.
Maxine Carr’s interviews were served on September 26 and initial forensic results on October 3.
Mr Latham said that by the time Huntley’s mother Lynda Nixon was secretly recorded talking to him at Woodhill prison on October 23 he had “read and been through and absorbed what the prosecution case was”.
Mr Latham claimed this included knowledge that the girls’ shirts had been found in a bin at the hangar, that his fingerprints had been found on the bin liner and hairs on the bin could be linked to him.
He said Huntley was also aware that the prosecution then alleged fibres from the girls’ shirts had been found in his car.
In the conversation with his mother Huntley said he remembered seeing the girls leaving his house alive and that someone else may have followed them and may be trying to frame him.
Mr Latham said this story had been invented to “dodge” the prosecution case.
He said: “You thought you could dodge your way round everything didn’t you?”
Huntley said: “No, that’s not true.”
He claimed he really believed he had seen the girls leaving the house and it had been part of a “false memory syndrome”.
But Mr Latham said: “You were being far more devious than that, Mr Huntley, you were inventing a defence to fit the facts.”
Mr Latham said as he constructed his story Huntley had also latched on to information in the prosecution papers that witnesses had claimed to see the girls well after 6.45pm.
He said Huntley also told his mother the killer had got access to the hangar to put the clothes and his hair must have got in there by accident later.
Mr Latham said Huntley’s answer to the “fibre problem” was that the girls had sat on the edge of the car boot while he was brushing his dog.
He said: “This is a cold blooded analysis of the prosecution case isn’t it Mr Huntley?”
Huntley, who denies murdering Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman on August 4 last year, replied: “No it wasn’t”.
