Huntley on way to court

Magistrates will not consider Ian Huntley's mental state

Ian Huntley, the former school caretaker accused of murdering 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, is on his way to court.

Mr Huntley left high security Rampton hospital in a police van with blackened windows shortly after 0730 BST, for his first court appearance over the deaths of the girls.

The hearing, at Peterborough Magistrates' Court, is expected to consider whether the 28-year-old should be sent for trial at a crown court.

Police from two neighbouring forces have been drafted into Cambridgeshire to help to ensure public safety at the court.

Forensic teams have finished searching the overgrown ditch in woods at Lakenheath, Suffolk, where the girls' bodies were found.

Mr Huntley was being held at Rampton hospital in Nottinghamshire, under mental health legislation and until Tuesday, had not yet appeared in court.

Magistrates will not consider Ian Huntley's mental state

The Attorney General has warned the media to show restraint in coverage of his first appearance in court.

A police spokesman said that Tuesday's hearing was a legal requirement and that magistrates were not being asked to consider his mental state.

The spokesman said he did not know whether Mr Huntley was likely to enter a plea to the charges.

Mr Huntley was charged on 20 August with killing the best friends, from Soham in Cambridgeshire.

They had gone missing on 4 August and their bodies were found at a Suffolk beauty spot 13 days later.

Video link

Security is expected to be very tight when Mr Huntley arrives at the court.

When his girlfriend, former teaching assistant Maxine Carr, 25, appeared at the same court on charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice, police struggled to hold back angry protesters.

I'm sure no member of the British public wants a fair trial to be prejudiced

Lord Goldsmith

When her case was heard at Peterborough Crown Court she appeared on a video link from Holloway Prison, where she is being held on remand, to avoid a repeat of the ugly scenes.

Ms Carr's next scheduled appearance at Peterborough Crown Court is on 27 September.

Her lawyers are considering whether to make an application for bail.

Public and media interest in the cases has been intense.

The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, said he would not be issuing a new formal warning to the press to back up a document published in the days after Mr Huntley and Ms Carr were charged.

But he said the media should "exercise a great deal of care" to ensure they did not prejudice Mr Huntley's trial.

Police search

News of Mr Huntley's court appearance was announced as children returned to school in Soham on Monday.

The girls' classmates at St Andrew's School released two white doves as a symbol of peace and remembrance.

Jessica's mother, Sharon, 43, watched the assembly with her other daughters Alison, 14, and Rebecca, 16. She has returned to her job at the school as a learning support assistant.

Holly's brother Oliver, 12, was not thought to have been present.

Pupils returning to the two schools, which were searched by police investigating the murders, will be able to talk to teachers or counsellors about any anxieties following the deaths.

Police have erected a screen around the home which Mr Huntley and Ms Carr shared, near the entrance to Soham Village College.