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I watched pitiful Soham killer Ian Huntley sob like a baby after going undercover in jail… how his arrogant mask slipped
David McGee reveals his chilling encounters with the 'slimy and manipulative' double child killer in our exclusive new true crime series
TEARS OF A KILLER I watched pitiful Soham killer Ian Huntley sob like a baby after going undercover in jail… how his arrogant mask slipped
WHITE as a ghost, overweight and sobbing uncontrollably, this was a side of Ian Huntley the cocky child killer never wanted anyone to see.
And as David McGee wheeled the pitiful monster away in a golf buggy, he could barely believe the extraordinary chain of events that had led him to this moment.
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Soham killer Ian Huntley was convicted of double murder in 2003
Credit: PA:Press Association
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Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both 10, were murdered by the monster
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Huntley's girlfriend Maxine Carr was convicted of perverting the course of justice
Credit: Reuters
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Huntley was held at Woodhill prison while awaiting trial
Credit: The Times
As part of a shocking investigation into the lax security of Britain's jails, the former investigative reporter had landed a job as an officer at Woodhill Prison in Milton Keynes in early 2003.
At the time the all-male Category A jail in Buckinghamshire held 650 prisoners.
It had housed hostage taker Charles Bronson, 'Hannibal the Cannibal' killer Robert Maudsley and murderer Michael Sams, who had eight years added to his four life terms after taking a probation officer hostage at Woodhill.
And just two weeks into his new role, David found himself left in sole charge of one of Britain's most notorious killers.
The previous year, former school caretaker Huntley had lured ten-year-old schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman to their brutal deaths at his home in Soham, Cambs.
Languishing in a Woodhill prison cell awaiting his trial for double murder at the Old Bailey, the brute was on suicide watch and needed to be monitored round the clock.
Incredibly, that duty fell to David, who grew to know Huntley's "arrogant" and "slimy" character first-hand over a number of intimate encounters.
Now, as part of The Sun's new true crime series, Meeting a Monster, which sees those who have met the UK's most infamous criminals reveal their darkest secrets, the former journalist recalls their incredible meetings.
One occasion still sticks vividly in his mind: when he was tasked with escorting the killer to a visit with his distraught parents, Kevin and Linda, which saw his egotistical mask well and truly slip.
Having driven Huntley to and from the visitors' suite in a golf buggy, David recalls him sobbing hysterically after the dramatic reunion.
Soham killer Ian Huntley makes chilling comment during interview with Maxine Carr which helps snare him in Channel 5 thriller Maxine
He tells The Sun: 'I was in the room while he spoke with his parents, and although I was not close enough to hear what they were saying, it was clear his parents were very upset too.
'By the time they left they were absolutely wrecked. I put my hand on Huntley's shoulder to steer him back to the buggy.
"It was only a distance of about 100 yards back to his cell but I was told he had to be driven both ways.
'He was bawling his eyes out, the meeting had clearly been deeply traumatising for him.
"Afterwards it took him quite a while to settle down. It was an astonishing day.'
Chilling first meeting
Using his real name and passport, which clearly stated he was a journalist, David incredibly still landed the job at Woodhill and worked there undercover for four months.
When asked for references, he named his wife and mother - but nobody bothered to check.
After some rudimentary training, in the spring of 2003, he was able to smuggle in a digital camera - which he concealed inside a personal organiser.
His role involved guarding prisoners and ferrying them to and from court.
He had access to keys for handcuffs, cell doors and the escape hatch in prison vans - meaning he could have freed inmates, passed drugs or weapons to them or even attacked them.
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Huntley and Carr joined the hunt for Holly and Jessica in a brazen bid to cover their tracks
Credit: BBC
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They were tried at the Old Bailey
Credit: Sian Francis
More than two decades later, David can still remember the moment he first came face-to-face with Huntley, known behind bars as Prisoner JG5778.
Left alone with the Soham killer, David snapped a photograph of him slumped in his cell.
They spent hours chatting together about football, running, and playing games of chess through the bars of his cell.
'I was shocked and amazed,' said David. 'I remember the day very clearly. I had just a fortnight's experience as a fully fledged warder and here I was doing one of the most vital jobs in the prison.
'When I first saw Huntley in the Health Care Centre where he was based my mouth went dry.
'I could see he was alone at the end of the corridor, his cell was at the end of a row of three and the others were kept empty.
'Huntley and his watcher were doing a crossword. I heard my colleague say a clue out loud: 'It's five letters and ends in stem.'
Huntley was bawling his eyes out, the meeting had clearly been deeply traumatising for him
David McGee
'I suggested 'brain' and it turned out to be right. I heard Huntley say from his cell: 'He's smart isn't he?'
'He seemed pale, overweight and had bags under his eyes. He was wearing a burgundy sweatshirt, trousers and a pair of trainers.
'I said: 'Hello, how are you doing?' In a soft quiet voice he simply answered: 'All right.'
'We talked about soccer and when he rolled up a cigarette I cadged one off him, which is against prison rules.
'I was involved in a number of conversations with Huntley covering a wide variety of subjects."
He adds: "We were close enough to share a chess board, our hands touched as we moved the pieces and I looked closely into his eyes.
"That was chilling."
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Huntley was quizzed by cops after Holly and Jessica went missing
Credit: Mirrorpix
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A police officer stands watch outside Huntley's home during a search
Credit: Alamy
Guarding Huntley was a popular duty at the jail as warders would get overtime, called Extra Gratuity Payments.
Later, on May 7, David found himself guarding the killer alone again, this time for five hours.
He said: 'Even though I was a raw rookie, I was on a rota to mind him after I was allowed to place my name on the overtime list of warders needed to man his round the clock suicide watch.
"He asked me lots of questions and was actively engaged in conversation. I think he liked me and wanted me to like him.
"He wanted to know about my partner, and said he preferred blonde women.
He was deluded. I found him quite slimy and I'm sure he believed he would get away with his vile crimes
"He was really interested in the fact that I had recently run the London marathon, and said he was very impressed with the time I finished it in.
'I had to bat away his questions because I'd been trained not to engage with the prisoners, but that did not seem to stop him.
'He never mentioned anything about the crimes he was accused of.
"It was clear he was trying to be matey because that would have served him well, although there were other moments when he was tetchy and prickly but fortunately there were bars between us.'
Prisoner perks
Huntley's cell was painted pale yellow and was adorned with cards sent from his fiancée Maxine Carr - some pinned to a notice board and others carefully arranged on the windowsill.
Each week he would buy two pouches of Golden Virginia tobacco, Rizla cigarette papers, matches, Rich Tea biscuits and UHT milk.
Outside the cell was a TV screen with a Playstation on top of it, and the wires to the handheld console were passed through the bars so Huntley could play video games.
He was holed up next to the prison gym and would occasionally ask to use the rowing machine.
Looking back on the extraordinary time they spent together, David adds: "I definitely got a sense of his arrogance, he thought he was smarter than everyone else.
'At that time, before his trial, he had not admitted his involvement in killing the girls or shown any remorse.
"He was deluded. I found him quite slimy and I'm sure he believed he would get away with his vile crimes.
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Huntley was on 24 hour suicide watch as he awaited trial
Credit: PA:Press Association
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The spot where the schoolgirls' bodies were found near Lakenheath, Suffolk
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The boot of Huntley's red Ford Fiesta that he used to transport the bodies
Credit: Reuters
"He struck me as incredibly manipulative, and I could see how he would be able to intellectually dominate young children or someone he perceived to be intellectually inferior or impressionable - like his partner Maxine. Clearly she was not the brightest spark.
'All I could do was listen to him, and he was more than happy to talk to me.
'Of course I would have loved to ask him questions but I was not there for that, I was only there as a consequence of the poor security."
When the photograph David had taken of Huntley in his cell was published, the scandal sparked a Home Office investigation into the shambolic security at the prison.
Prison industry groups said underfunding and staff shortages could have led to the apparent security blunder.
David faced two charges under the 1952 Prisons Act in relation to the digital camera he had used, which flouted a rule prohibiting the taking in of items to the prison without authorisation.
But he was later cleared when Milton Keynes Magistrates Court dismissed the case against him and all charges were dropped.
