Protesters kept at bay

Ian Huntley arrived at court today to be greeted by a barrage of hatred.

A small number of protesters, kept at bay by about 100 uniformed officers and steel barriers, jeered at the van carrying Huntley, 28, as it swept into Peterborough magistrates' court.

Cries of "scum", "evil" and "bring back hanging" rang out as the van disappeared into the court complex - even though the darkened windows meant they were unable to see the object of their hostility.

Jeanette Dixon, 50, had taken her grandson Troy, nine, out of school for the day. "I wanted Troy to come with me today so that he could understand what all the warnings I have been giving him were about," she said.

Mrs Dixon, who was carrying a placard calling for the reintroduction of capital punishment, rejected suggestions that people like herself were doing more harm than good. "I feel very strongly about this and I'm here to support Holly and Jessica's parents."

Payroll administrator Julia Dunnett, 58, had taken a halfday holiday. "I'm a parent myself and what happened to those girls was every parent's nightmare," she said.

Cambridgeshire police welcomed the relative calm. The force, assisted by neighbouring constabularies, had mounted an elaborate operation to get Huntley to and from court. Access roads were closed and the public prevented from using car parks close to court buildings.