More than two decades after the tragic murders of schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells, their killer Ian Huntley is once again causing national outrage—this time from inside prison.
The convicted child murderer has reportedly been strutting around in what appears to be a Manchester United-style number 10 football shirt, in what many believe is a deeply disturbing and calculated taunt.
Haunting Parallels to the Victims’ Last Known Image
The fury surrounding Huntley’s shirt isn’t without painful context.
In one of the final photos ever taken of 10-year-old Jessica and Holly, the girls are seen smiling in matching red Manchester United tops—shirts they were wearing the day they vanished from a family barbecue in Soham back in August 2002.
That image has remained etched in the public memory.
So when news emerged that Huntley, now 51, has been seen wearing a similar red shirt with the number 10 on the back, it felt like a twisted and cruel reference to the age of his victims and the shirts they wore on that horrific day.
Sick Behavior Reportedly Deliberate, Say Inmates
Huntley is currently serving a life sentence at HMP Frankland in County Durham.
According to The Sun, he’s been seen walking to the prison gym and health centre in the red top, which he allegedly ordered from Sports Direct.
And while prisoners are normally banned from wearing football shirts of their favorite teams, Huntley appears to have found a loophole—his version isn’t official club gear, just made to look like it.
One prison source told the outlet: “He’s strutting about like it’s a joke.
It’s vile.” Fellow inmates reportedly hurled abuse at him, calling him a “sick b*****d”—to which Huntley allegedly responded with a thumbs-up, adding to the disgust.
No Rule Broken, But Moral Lines Crossed
Because the shirt isn’t technically an official football jersey, Huntley hasn’t violated any formal prison rules.
But that hasn’t stopped the anger. Critics argue that what he’s doing is morally repugnant, with some calling for immediate action.
Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick was especially scathing.
He called the act a “disgusting insult” to the memory of the girls and said the shirt should be “ripped off his back” by prison staff.
Despite complaints from inmates as early as May, it appears no action has been taken.
The Horrific Crimes That Shook the Nation
Jessica and Holly’s murders remain one of the most heartbreaking crimes in recent British history.
On that summer day in 2002, the two best friends had left a family barbecue to buy sweets. They never came home.
Unbeknownst to the public at the time, Huntley—who worked as a school caretaker—had lured the girls into his home and killed them.
Their bodies were later found burned and dumped in a ditch near RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, about six miles from where they were last seen.
Huntley’s Lies and Twisted Role in the Search
Shockingly, Huntley didn’t disappear after the crime.
He went on to join in the search efforts, gave TV interviews, and presented himself as a concerned local.
His girlfriend at the time, Maxine Carr, even provided him with a false alibi and publicly shared a card the girls had written for her as a classroom assistant.
Huntley initially claimed both deaths were accidental—saying Holly drowned in the bath and that he suffocated Jessica while trying to silence her. But in a 2018 confession, he admitted to deliberately killing Jessica to stop her from calling for help, though he still insisted Holly’s death was not intentional.
Justice Served, But Pain Lingers
Huntley was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005.
Maxine Carr was convicted of perverting the course of justice and was released in 2004 with a new identity.
Though justice was served in court, the deep wounds left by their actions have never truly healed—especially for the families of Jessica and Holly.
And now, more than 20 years later, the idea that Huntley would wear anything that even resembles the last image of the two girls is not just sickening—it feels like a cruel mockery of the pain he caused.