Reporter Recounts Suspicious Interview Before Soham Murders

Journalist Brian Farmer shared his account of interviewing Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr shortly after the disappearance of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002. Farmer, then with the Press Association, approached Huntley, the caretaker at a local secondary school, after police released information on the girls' last known sightings.

Huntley and his partner, teaching assistant Maxine Carr, initially appeared hesitant to speak with Farmer. During the interview, Huntley described washing his dog, Sadie, on the evening the girls vanished. Farmer found this account suspicious, noting that neither Huntley nor Carr mentioned the girls noticing the dog, which seemed improbable.

Further raising Farmer's concerns was Huntley's unsolicited and specific response when asked how the girls might react to a stranger. Huntley stated Holly would go quietly, but Jessica would resist, knowledge Farmer found inexplicable for a caretaker of a different school. This discrepancy led Farmer to believe Huntley was not truthful.

Following the interview on August 8, 2002, Farmer reported his unease to his brother, a retired detective. Acting on his brother's advice, Farmer contacted Cambridgeshire Police, sharing his reasons for suspecting Huntley. The pair were arrested on August 17, 2002. Huntley was later convicted of murdering the two 10-year-olds, while Carr was jailed for perverting the course of justice.