Leave her in peace

Maxine Carr has served her prison sentence for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and will walk free from custody today. She should be left to pick up the pieces of a life already blighted by her past as the girlfriend of the Soham murderer Ian Huntley. Hours before her release, we learned of farcical scenes on Hampstead Heath, as police scoured the undergrowth for stolen Home Office documents about the protection of her identity. Worrying though it is that elaborate plans for Carr's release may be compromised, it is far more disturbing that the lynch mob climate surrounding her case has necessitated such extreme measures to guarantee her safety.

Maxine Carr has served her prison sentence for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and will walk free from custody today. She should be left to pick up the pieces of a life already blighted by her past as the girlfriend of the Soham murderer Ian Huntley. Hours before her release, we learned of farcical scenes on Hampstead Heath, as police scoured the undergrowth for stolen Home Office documents about the protection of her identity. Worrying though it is that elaborate plans for Carr's release may be compromised, it is far more disturbing that the lynch mob climate surrounding her case has necessitated such extreme measures to guarantee her safety.