How Ian Huntley was rumbled by key errors which saw him face justice

School caretaker Ian Huntley, 45, was sentenced to two life terms over the murders

School caretaker Ian Huntley, 45, was sentenced to two life terms over the murders

Ian Huntley made five key errors which saw him face justice over the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, a new TV documentary has revealed.

The 45-year-old school caretaker killed the ten-year-old girls at his home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002, in a case that shocked Britain.

Now, a new Channel 5 programme has revealed the five mistakes Huntley made - which included asking a police officer how long DNA lasted for, and getting new tyres put on his old Ford Fiesta after dumping their bodies in woodland. 

The documentary also sees police admit the haunting photograph they issued of the girls wearing matching Manchester United shirts was a mistake, because it prompted global public interest that put the investigation under huge pressure.

Holly and Jessica had been at a family barbecue when they went to walk to a nearby shop for sweets - and their bodies were found nearly a fortnight later in a ditch. 

Holly Wells (left) and her best friend Jessica Chapman (right) pictured in their Manchester United shirts shortly before they disappeared in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4, 2002

Holly Wells (left) and her best friend Jessica Chapman (right) pictured in their Manchester United shirts shortly before they disappeared in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4, 2002

Police hold back an angry mob who scream abuse as the convoy carrying Maxine Carr outside Peterborough Magistrates' Court in 2002, with one banner saying: 'Bring back hanging now'

Police hold back an angry mob who scream abuse as the convoy carrying Maxine Carr outside Peterborough Magistrates' Court in 2002, with one banner saying: 'Bring back hanging now' 

The girls' families were subjected to a full court hearing in 2003 because Huntley refused to plead guilty - but he was eventually sentenced to at least 40 years in jail.

Huntley's girlfriend Maxine Carr, a teaching assistant at the girls' school, was jailed for three-and-a-half years after being convicted of perverting the cause of justice.

Huntley's girlfriend Maxine Carr was jailed for three-and-a-half years for her role in the case

Huntley's girlfriend Maxine Carr was jailed for three-and-a-half years for her role in the case

Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Stevenson, who was made lead investigator on the case nearly a fortnight after the girls vanished, was interviewed for the new programme, 'Five Mistakes that Caught a Killer'.

He told the show: 'It is easy to look back in hindsight and see that by using the media to publicise the disappearance of these two girls and spread it almost worldwide was a mistake.

'One of the first things I did when I took over was to refocus the investigation into the immediate locality. It is a standard phrase to clear the ground under your feet and I didn't feel that that had been done.' 

The documentary also looked at the five errors that saw Huntley face justice - the first being how he started to enjoy speaking to the media. 

This backfired on him after people in his old hometown of Grimsby in Lincolnshire recognised him as someone who had been linked to sex attacks on women. 

Huntley got new tyres put on his old Ford Fiesta car, which aroused suspicion and led to police investigating the vehicle. He is pictured sitting his his car outside his home on August 8, 2002

Huntley got new tyres put on his old Ford Fiesta car, which aroused suspicion and led to police investigating the vehicle. He is pictured sitting his his car outside his home on August 8, 2002

Jessica's mobile phone was switched off on the day she vanished - with the signal showing it was at Huntley's house at the time. A detective holds a replica of the phone in August 2002

Jessica's mobile phone was switched off on the day she vanished - with the signal showing it was at Huntley's house at the time. A detective holds a replica of the phone in August 2002

Flowers left at a church in Soham for the murdered girls after their bodies were found in 2002

Flowers left at a church in Soham for the murdered girls after their bodies were found in 2002 

Carr also dropped a hint when she started speaking about the girls in the past tense while speaking to the BBC, prompting the interview to be halted and then restarted.

His second mistake regarded Jessica's mobile phone, which was switched off on the day she

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