Maxine Carr decision due in days
A decision on the case of Soham defendant Maxine Carr is likely to be made in the next few days, it has emerged.
But there was no confirmation of a report that the ruling will be made today.
The ex-girlfriend of killer Ian Huntley has been put forward for early release by the governor of Holloway Prison in north London.
Under the home detention curfew (HDC) scheme, she would be fitted with an electronic tag and alarms would be triggered if she left her house during the curfew.
Prison Service chief Martin Narey is considering whether to use new powers to refuse permission to grant release, on the grounds that it would undermine public confidence in the tagging scheme.
The 26-year-old was sentenced eight weeks ago to three-and-a-half years for conspiring to pervert the course of justice after Huntley murdered 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
She has been in jail since August 2002 and would stay behind bars until mid-May if she were to serve half her sentence.
Ed Willetts, governor of Holloway, has approved Carr’s application to join the scheme.
She became eligible for release in early January and could walk out of jail immediately if Mr Narey decides not to use his new powers to overrule the decision.
The Prison Service has already confirmed that Carr’s papers have been sent by the governor to Mr Narey, head of the Home Office’s National Offender Management Scheme.
Ministers last month granted Mr Narey the new powers to overrule governors in a direct response to the situation with Carr.
Today’s edition of The Sun said Mr Narey would decide that day on whether Carr would be freed early.
A Prison Service spokeswoman said only: “A decision is likely to be made in the next few days, but only when Martin Narey has considered all relevant information.”
Holly and Jessica disappeared in their home village of Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002.
Their bodies were found in a ditch near Lakenheath, Suffolk, 13 days later.
School caretaker Huntley was sentenced to life in December last year.
