Alongside it was a WWF wrestling poster, another sport that she loved to watch.She was also a keen swimmer who often joined her older sisters Rebecca, 17, and Alison, 15, at the pool. When Rebecca was one of the organiser’s of the Soham Village College prom, Jessica eagerly helped her out, decorating the hall where it was to be held with streamers.The youngest daughter of Sharon, 44, a learning support assistant, and Leslie Chapman, 52, an engineer, she hated the dark and was frightened of big dogs and insects.She was, her mother said, “totally honest” and would always call home before going anywhere, even if she knew she might be in trouble.The girls’ teacher in year five of St Andrew’s primary school described them as loyal friends, but not inseparable.Joy Pederson said she would always rely on the pair, who she said were bright and well-behaved 10-year-olds who mixed well with their classmates, for small tasks because they were “sensible and reliable”. In it she wrote: “It’s class 12’s special TA [teaching assistant], we will miss her a lot and will say, see you in the future Miss Carr, don’t leave us, don’t go far.’An obedient child, she knew her curfews well and kept to them. On the night the girls disappeared, her mother panicked when the allotted hour of 8.30pm passed.Jessica was a tomboy with a chatty, inquisitive nature. A “bubbly, outgoing” schoolgirl, she was a majorette and played the cornet.

The second child of Kevin Wells, 40, a contract cleaner and his wife Nicola, 36, a secretary, her family were well known in the town.When the pupils of St Andrew’s were allowed to bring something in to school to play with for the day, Holly chose a soft toy, which she cuddled contentedly. Enthusiastic and chatty, she was quick to hug her former teaching assistant, Maxine Carr, when she spotted her on the street.When she learnt that “Miss Carr” was leaving, Holly sat down and carefully constructed a colourful card, complete with a large smiley face. Jessica’s tan and braid from her recent holiday, Holly’s beaming smile; the identical shirts emblazoned with the name of a heartthrob footballer- all speak of ordinary, modern childhood.Shortly before the trial began, Huntley’s defence team argued that the photograph should not be included in a bundle of images given to the jury, because it was too emotive.Richard Latham QC, for the prosecution, while insisting that it was an important depiction of their appearance shortly before they died, said: “It is an image that will haunt the nation forever”.Holly and Jessica barely had a chance to explore life before it was taken away from them. Holly loved to dance, and choreographed routines to tracks from her favourite band, S Club Juniors. The photograph was taken by Holly’s mother, Nicola.Mrs Wells had got the camera out to take a picture of her guest, Trudy Wright, when the schoolfriends appeared and asked her to take a snap of them. It is not the girls’ smiles or matching Manchester United shirts which pack the greatest punch It is the clock in the background reading 5.04pm.

It is the clock in the background reading 5.04pm.
Ninety minutes later the friends entered the home of Ian Huntley. Apart from CCTV images filmed during the journey to their killer’s house, the famous photograph of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman was the final image to be taken of the girls. We didn’t realise those actions were going to affect us so much.”Of Huntley, Natalie said: “I hate him to pieces really.I personally don’t think they should be allowed to stand up and talk any more.”Natalie said she had had to grow up quickly after losing her friends. “I’ve matured and I’m getting used to the fact of what’s happened and I know how to cope,” she said.Natalie’s mother, Catherine, 38, said she and her daughter were “very emotional” after the verdicts.Natalie was one of four 10-year-olds in a television appeal to get Holly and Jessica back. At the time she said: “Holly and Jessica are like sisters to me and I miss them so much.”. Natalie was collected by her mother less than six hours before the girls left the home.Natalie, now 12, told Sky News yesterday she had often thought “if only” of that day: “It’s hard because I don’t know whether if I’d stayed there they wouldn’t have gone – I just don’t know.”Natalie said she had dealt with the girls’ deaths by writing a diary. “Sometimes, especially at night, I’ll go to bed and I’ll read a book and write my diary and then I just lay there and cry – just to get my emotions out,” she said.

Natalie said she and the girls knew Maxine Carr well and that Carr even invited them to her wedding “And she was just like an everyday person to us. One of Holly and Jessica’s closest friends told yesterday how she cried herself to sleep and how she felt guilt over leaving Holly’s house on the day the girls were murdered.
Natalie Parr stayed at Holly’s house on the Saturday night before she disappeared. She and Holly had enjoyed a midnight feast of sweets by the light of their mobile phones.In the morning, they were joined by Jessica, who had returned from a holiday in Menorca. Otherwise, the alleged irregularities in the early retirement deal might have been blamed on him.