Soham: Huntley admitted to secure hospital for assessment

The school caretaker charged with the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman was admitted to Rampton high-security hospital following concerns he was not fit to be interviewed by police, the hospital's manager said last night.

Mike Harris said the murder suspect would remain for an "undetermined stay" at the Nottinghamshire hospital while he was assessed by psychiatrists under the Mental Health Act. Ian Huntley, 28, who was admitted at 2am yesterday, will be among 400 patients at Rampton, home to some of Britain's high-profile criminals, including Beverly Allitt, the nurse whose murder of four children in her care and attacks on a further 13 earned her the title "Angel of Death".

About three quarters of those admitted to the hospital have committed "very serious" crimes and have treatment for mental illness or psychopathic disorders. To underline the status of Rampton as a health facility, those detained are referred to as "patients" or "residents" rather than "inmates".

The decision to admit Mr Huntley to Rampton, about six miles from Retford, was based on an assessment by psychiatrists from the hospital made after police interviews in which he revealed little. He was transferred the 60 miles north with a police escort.

Dr Harris, director of forensic services for Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "We admitted a 28-year-old man for assessment after concerns were expressed regarding his fitness to be interviewed by Cambridgeshire police. This man will remain in hospital for an undetermined stay."

The hospital, one of three high-security hospitals in Britain ­ the others are Broadmoor, Berkshire and Ashworth, Merseyside ­ costs £52m a year to run. The hospital was opened as a state asylum in 1912. The 190-acre site has 14 high-security main ward blocks and a further 14 secure houses, surrounded by landscaped gardens. It has 1,400 staff, including more than 800 nurses, 30 medical staff and a further 150 professionals including psychologists, social workers and teachers.

Rampton is due to be expanded in line with plans to lock up hundreds of people with dangerous, incurable personality disorders indefinitely. The Government wants a further 220 places at Rampton and Broadmoor.

In May 2000, Sir Richard Tilt, a former head of the Prison Service, reviewed security at the hospital and demanded improvements. He said random drugs tests should be made on patients and that they should be locked up at night, rather than being allowed to roam their wards. He also called for random cell searches.

In June, a survey of patients at Rampton found evidence of the poor lifestyles of people in long-term psychiatric care, with extremely high levels of obesity and smoking.

Yesterday, forensic science officers removed undisclosed items from the home of Mr Huntley's parents, Kevin and Lynda, and were examining the drains. Mr Huntley was arrested at the house in the village of Littleport on Saturday. Police were also searching the roof and high hedges surrounding the property, which is 10 miles from Soham.

Examination of the two girls, discovered by a gamekeeper in woods near RAF Lakenheath, continued but the condition of the 10-year-olds has prevented a formal identification and the pathologist has not yet been able to discover how they died. Jessica's and Holly's parents have been kept informed.

Police were seen taking samples inside the home from the window panes. A hydraulic platform was used to examine the roof of the property.

Officers were continuing to examine the Soham secondary school where Mr Huntley was a caretaker, and where he shared a home with his girlfriend and fellow suspect, Maxine Carr. The nearby primary school where Ms Carr, 25, worked as a classroom assistant, was the scene of further searches.

Police say they have made "significant" finds in the school grounds.

* A man from Wrexham was arrested yesterday over allegations that he phoned police to report that he had abducted Holly and Jessica.

The man, who has not been named, was questioned about three calls from someone claiming to have abducted the girls. He was released on police bail.