Soham killer - some disturbing events

 

With the media frenzy surrounding the Ipswich murders, this one nearly slipped past me.

Ian Huntley, imprisoned for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, has made two suicide attempts and will possibly be housed in a new top-security prison (yet to be built, and estimated cost of £300,000).

I like this quote from The People (03 Dec 2006):

A prison source told The People: “Does anyone really care if Huntley kills himself ?”

Because I know I certainly don’t. It is certainly a much better proposition for the UK taxpayer, who foot the bill for housing these criminals for life, and the additional costs of ’suicide watch’.

But the disturbing news is the civil action being brought against Huntley by now 20yo Hailey Giblin who says Huntley sexually molested her five years before the murders of Jessica and Holly, when Ms Giblin was 11 years old.

The Telegraph (12 Dec 2006):

HUNTLEY AWARDED LEGAL AID TO FIGHT RAPE CLAIM
By Matthew Moore and PA

Ian Huntley, the Soham murderer, has been awarded £1,000 legal aid to fight claims that he raped an 11-year-old girl.

Hailey Giblin, now 20, has brought a civil action claiming that he attacked her in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, five years before he killed Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Huntley initially filed no defence, but has now decided to contest the charge with the help of taxpayers’ money.

“I think it is an absolute disgrace that he has received legal aid - and someone like me, who have been let down by every single level of the criminal justice system has not,” Ms Giblin told the Daily Mail.

“I am told the reason Huntley is fighting this is that he does not want to be officially branded a paedophile. He is quite happy with being branded a child murderer because he can always explain that away as an accident.

“But for some reason he does not want the fact that he abused an 11-year-old girl to become an accepted fact.”

A spokesman for the Legal Service Commission confirmed that Huntley had received legal aid, and said the award was based on his financial circumstances and the merits of his case.

“We cannot differentiate between applicants for legal aid on the grounds that a decision to grant funding may be unpopular in a particular case,” he added.

Ms Giblin reported the alleged attack to police in 1997 but officers decided to take no action after interviewing Huntley.

He is currently serving a double life sentence in Wakefield Prison, west Yorkshire, where he attempted suicide in September.

Ms Giblin’s case - to be heard at Manchester County Court on Thursday - is one of a series of previous allegations against Huntley which emerged after the Soham murders and caused a storm of controversy leading to Humberside Police being criticised in the Bichard Report.

But worse news still is that Ms Giblin may have to give evidence at Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire because of fears for Huntley’s safety/security. This seems to be another case where a (female) victim is treated poorly out of greater concern for the perpetrator.

This is London (19 Dec 2006):

HUNTLEY ‘SEX ASSAULT’ VICTIM FACES PRISON EVIDENCE ORDEAL

A woman who claims she was indecently assaulted by Ian Huntley as a child could be forced to give evidence in prison.

Hailey Giblin says Huntley repeatedly sexually assaulted her in an orchard and against a school wall and threatened to killer her if she told anyone.

She has launched a legal battle against the Soham killer for compensation but may be forced to give evidence in a maximum security jail.

The Soham killer has already been awarded up to £1,000 in legal aid to help him fund lawyers to contest the case.

Lawyers for Huntley, 32, want the trial heard in Wakefield Prison in West Yorks because of fears for the security of their client.

Huntley, who was jailed for life for the horrific murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002, denies the sexual assault.

Yesterday his lawyers said they would seek permission to make arrangements to have the trial held at a maximum security prison.

Barrister Peter Hodson told a hearing at Manchester County Court a prison would be the best place for any trial given security implications.

But Richard Scorer for Giblin said: ‘That is obviously something my client would be opposing but at this stage it is not relevant.’

District Judge Charles Khan ordered Huntley’s legal firm - AS Law in Liverpool to pay all legal costs of the case so far - £517.

Although he has no money to pay out a compensation claim, Huntley is said to be have launched a vigorous defence because he does not want to be formally classed as a paedophile.

If he were to lose the case and be branded a paedophile it would change the way he was held in prison but, more importantly, it would change the way he was regarded by fellow inmates.

Mrs Giblin was 11 in September 1997 when she says Huntley, then 23, repeatedly sexually assaulted her in an orchard and against a school wall.

He threatened to kill her if she told anyone else but within months she reported him to police.September 1997, five years before he killed 10-year-old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Huntley was questioned but never charged.

The claims were investigated again following his conviction for the Soham murders but there was not enough evidence to support a prosecution.

Outside the county court Mr Scorer said they would continue to fight the award of legal aid for Huntley to defend the case.

He said: ‘We will be making very strong representations that he should not be getting legal aid. We don’t believe it is a proper use of taxpayers’ money. We will be making representations to the legal aid board directly and will be meeting with ministers.’

A spokesman for the Legal Service Commission said: ‘Ian Huntley has got legal aid and the case is ongoing.

Ms Giblin is bringing a case against him and the money is to be used to defend that action.

‘Clearly this is a very sensitive case but we have a responsibility to provide funding for cases where the client meets a financial eligibility test and a legal merits test, which consider factors such as the case’s likelihood of success.

‘We cannot differentiate between applicants for legal aid on the grounds that a decision to grant funding may be unpopular in a particular case.’

Of course, if the police and CPS had actually done something about Huntley in 1997, then in all likelihood Holly and Jessica would be alive. But so many sexual assualts on women and girls don’t even make it pass the investigation stage, despite police/CPS claims that ‘they take rape seriously’. The only thing they seem to take seriously is prosecuting rape victims where either the investigation doesn’t progress to trial, or the defendant is not found guilty (which isn’t to say he didn’t do it, just there wasn’t enough ‘evidence’ to prove he did it, or other gender bias going on in the courtroom).

I really hope that Ms Giblin wins her case. Unfortunately, in this country, a victim cannot sue the police/CPS, but if ever there was a justifiable case, then Jessica and Holly’s families have a case against them.