Carr's mother jailed for threatening witness

The mother of Maxine Carr was sentenced yesterday to six months in jail for intimidating a witness in the Soham murder trial. Shirley Capp, 61, of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, was found guilty last month of threatening her neighbour, Marion Westerman.

The mother of Maxine Carr was sentenced yesterday to six months in jail for intimidating a witness in the Soham murder trial. Shirley Capp, 61, of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, was found guilty last month of threatening her neighbour, Marion Westerman.

Judge John Reddihough said at Sheffield Crown Court that he had no choice but to jail Capp because to do otherwise would be to "send out completely the wrong message".

The jury in the trial heard that Capp threatened Ms Westerman during an argument at her house, which began with a dispute over a cat.

Ms Westerman had told police and, eventually, a jury at the Old Bailey that she had seen Maxine Carr and Ian Huntley looking in the boot of a car outside Capp's house shortly after 10-year-old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing. She said that Carr was crying.

Carr was jailed for three and a half years for conspiring with Huntley to pervert the course of justice after the murders of Holly and Jessica.

The judge said yesterday he was satisfied that Ms Westerman had been frightened by the threats made by Capp and had told a police officer immediately afterwards that she was not going to give evidence in the Soham trial because of them.

Judge Reddihough said: "[Ms Westerman] was saying she would not give evidence in the Soham case because of her fear. In due course, she actually did give evidence as required.''