Huntley confession sparks inquiry

The Prison Service announced an inquiry yesterday into how a newspaper obtained a tape recording of comments apparently made by the Soham murderer, Ian Huntley.

In a front-page report yesterday, The Sun claimed that Huntley had confessed to lying in court over the deaths of schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells.

Huntley, who is serving a life sentence in Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire, allegedly revealed that Jessica died in the living room, and not the bathroom, of his home in Soham, Cambridgeshire.

The Sun has refused to reveal the origins of the tape, in which Huntley apparently insists: "I am not evil."

A Prison Service spokesman said: "There was no evidence he was interviewed by The Sun. It does appear to be a taped discussion between Huntley and a close family member. We are reviewing the manner in which Huntley's calls are recorded by the Prison Service."

Huntley told his Old Bailey trial that Holly had suffered a nosebleed and drowned in the bath and he killed Jessica as he tried to silence her screams.

But according to The Sun, Huntley admitted: "I said that Jessica died in the bathroom. She didn't. She died in the living room. Everything happened as I said it did, apart from that.

Huntley, 30, also claimed he was threatening to go on hunger strike in two weeks to kill himself.

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Police said: "All we want and all the families want is the truth."