Maxine Carr’s life with new identification, £2m safety and ‘besotted’ husband

Maxine Carr was jailed for providing a false alibi for her boyfriend Ian Huntley, who brutally murdered Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, before she was released with a new identity

She was Britain’s most loathed woman, having tried to cover up the unspeakable crimes of her murderous partner Ian Huntley. Yet now, two decades after walking free from prison with a fresh identity, Maxine Carr will be discovering his grisly demise alongside the rest of the nation – and her ‘devoted’ husband.

Carr was jailed for providing her killer boyfriend with a fake alibi on August 4, 2002 – the evening he savagely slaughtered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, before dumping their bodies in a drainage ditch in Soham, Cambridgeshire.

Carr attempted to protect Huntley by claiming she was at home during that horrific evening – when she was actually in Grimsby. Holly and Jessica, both 10 years old, had left a family barbecue to buy sweets when they disappeared without trace, only to be discovered dead 13 days later, reports the Mirror.

Throughout the trial, she and Huntley – who was violent towards her in their relationship – betrayed one another and are thought to have maintained no communication since. Whilst Carr rebuilt her life after her release, Huntley endured his remaining years deteriorating behind bars.

Following a string of brutal attacks whilst incarcerated, he was assaulted for the last time on February 26. Huntley was urgently taken to hospital after reportedly being attacked by a fellow inmate with a metal pole.

Initially presumed dead, prison officers discovered him lying in a pool of blood at HMP Frankland, also known as ‘Monster Mansion’.

The notorious child murderer suffered severe injuries – including skull fractures, brain damage and a broken jaw. His final days were spent in a medically induced coma, reliant on a ventilator for breathing.

His mother Lynda Richards, who managed to visit her dying son, allegedly couldn’t recognise Huntley following the assault.

On Friday March 6, medical staff removed the ventilator that was sustaining his life, following discussions with his mother. Sources informed The Sun that the decision was made around midday after brain scans indicated he was in a vegetative state.

They also claimed his mum was present at his bedside. Today, the Ministry of Justice confirmed the killer’s death at the age of 52.

The search operation to find Holly and Jessica was one of the most extensive the country has ever seen. Carr and Huntley even joined in the search, interacting with the media and aiding locals, along with 400 police officers and US Air Force personnel, in combing the countryside for the missing best friends.

Disturbingly, Huntley even consoled Holly’s father during the ongoing search.

In one interview, Carr – who served as the girls’ teaching assistant – bragged about her close relationship with Holly and showed journalists a card Holly had crafted for her on the last day of term.

Speaking to a television reporter, Carr stated: “No one believes they would ever run away. They were very close to their families. This is something that I will keep for the rest of my life.

“It’s what Holly gave me on the last day of term and there’s a poem written inside saying ‘to a special teaching assistant’ and that we will miss her and we will see her in the future. That was the kind of girl she was, she was just really lovely.”

Every registered sex offender in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire was interrogated, but there seemed to be no trace of the primary school students. A significant media campaign ensured Holly and Jessica remained on every newspaper’s front page and in every news broadcast for 13 days, leaving no stone unturned.

It came to light that Huntley, already under police surveillance, had returned to the spot where he had dumped the bodies to remove the girls’ distinctive Manchester United shirts and tried to burn them. He later discarded the shirts in a bin at his workplace, hiding them beneath another rubbish bag, but the authorities found them in a crucial breakthrough for the investigation.

Huntley was found guilty of murder and received two life sentences, with a minimum term of 40 years imprisonment. Carr was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for perverting the course of justice.

After serving half of her sentence, she was released and granted a new identity.

She walked free from Foston Hall prison in Derbyshire in May 2004 with a new identity for her own protection. Over the following two years, Carr was moved to more than 10 different safe houses for protection, and in 2011, reports surfaced that she had welcomed her first child – a baby boy – whilst in a secure location.

By 2012, she was understood to have begun a serious relationship with a partner who was aware of her disturbing past and was reportedly ‘absolutely besotted’ with her.

By 2014, she was believed to be living in a seaside town. The Channel 5 true crime drama – entitled Maxine – depicts her dwelling by the coast, with someone calling out her name, claiming they recognised her.

Officials cannot reveal the town’s identity due to the permanent anonymity order granted to Carr by the High Court over a decade ago.

She remains one of only four former UK prisoners protected by lifelong anonymity – alongside James Bulger’s killers Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, and child murderer Mary Bell. Carr allegedly married a man in a secret ceremony.

According to the Daily Mail, the pair tied the knot at a secret hotel, with the bride wearing a £2,000 ivory dress. Her soon-to-be husband walked her down the aisle, sources disclosed, revealing that attendees savoured a three-course wedding meal and enjoyed £10 bottles of bubbly before the newly-weds departed for a family-friendly resort for their honeymoon.

The disclosure is thought to have delivered a crushing blow to the heartbroken mothers of Holly and Jessica, who were robbed of the opportunity to witness their daughters building their own futures. “The families of Holly and Jessica will never get to see their daughters marry,” a source told the newspaper.

“They will never get to enjoy their big day. They have nothing to look forward to. Why should she?”

The publication states that the total cost of safeguarding Carr’s identity has allegedly soared beyond £2million, with taxpayers footing the bill for her to alter her appearance through cosmetic procedures and thousands of pounds worth of dental treatment, plus funds to transform her style and hair colour.

Whilst Huntley spent his remaining years as a despised figure at ‘Monster Mansion’, he stayed fixated on Carr’s activities. He was reportedly “devastated” upon discovering that Maxine had kissed two other men whilst in Grimsby during the weekend the girls died.

He wrote: “I was totally devastated. I have written to her and asked for an explanation and to find out how true it is.”

He confessed he despised not knowing what Carr was doing, scribbling in another: “I feel sick with worry. I feel so lonely without her.”

And he remained unable to accept his culpability, as he pondered in another about who might portray him in a film regarding the case.

“One of the staff here said someone might make a film about what me and Max have gone through. What a horrible thought. I would like to have the part of James Bond or Tom Cruise in Top Gun. That would be amazing,” he scrawled.

In another entry, he gushed: “When I’m down, I’m a miserable git and when I’m cheerful I’m a barking woof woof. All I can say is that I hope my future has plenty of woof woof woof moments. God I am nuts.”

Huntley also retained a photograph of his former partner in the cell, and flew into a fury after it was confiscated by guards. On a separate occasion, he allegedly promised treats from his weekly prison cookery sessions to any fellow inmate who would assist him in sending a photograph of himself to Carr.

However, the beast was so despised that prisoners informed prison staff. A source revealed before his death: “Huntley made inquiries with other inmates whether anyone had a mobile phone or could get their hands on one, so he could take his own picture and send it to Carr.

“No one would help him because he is so detested. He offered a substantial payback from the canteen for the favour. He’s got access to grub because he does weekly cookery classes. He didn’t want to get the phone himself because if he was caught he knew he’d risk being moved out of Wakefield. He likes it here.

“But Huntley is hated and no one was prepared to stick their neck out for him. He’s always looking for ways of sneaking round the system. Every time he’s rumbled a new rule comes in. It’s left him feeling like he’s in control of the jail. They have created a monster – if he wasn’t one already.”