The journalist who was the first to interview Ian Huntley after the murder of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman has described what prompted him to contact police, following Huntley's death in prison.
Brian Farmer, then working for the Press Association in East Anglia, went to Huntley's home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, after police released details of the girls' last sightings. Huntley, then 28, was a caretaker at a nearby secondary school, and his partner Maxine Carr, then 25, was a teaching assistant in the girls' class.
Mr Farmer told BBC News that he found the couple's account suspicious. They said Huntley had been washing his Alsatian, Sadie, but the girls had not mentioned the dog. He also noted that when he asked how the girls might react to a stranger, Huntley answered that Holly would go quietly but Jessica would put up a fight, despite not knowing them.
After the interview, Mr Farmer contacted his brother, a retired senior detective, who advised him to report his concerns to Cambridgeshire Police. Mr Farmer later gave evidence at the Old Bailey trial in 2003.
Huntley was convicted of the murder of the two 10-year-olds and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 40 years. Carr was jailed for 21 months for perverting the course of justice. Huntley died after an attack at HMP Frankland, a high-security prison.
Mr Farmer said his thoughts were with the girls' parents, adding: "It simply can never go away for them, and this must be a day that's just beyond belief for them."
