Girls' shirts were cut in half

The red Manchester United shirts won by schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were cut almost exactly in half as they were removed from their bodies, the Old Bailey was told today.

The jury trying the alleged murderer of the two 10-year-olds was shown photographs of the shirts which showed how they were cut vertically from the bottom hem to the neck almost exactly along the centre of the tops.

Similar cuts were made up the back of the shirts. Richard Latham QC, prosecuting, said: "You can see at once from this photograph that the shirt has been cut effectively in half."

The jury was shown two photographs, the first of Jessica's shirt and the second of Holly's.

Jessica's shirt showed signs of slight burn marks.

The jury was told yesterday that an attempt had been made to set fire to all the clothing where it was dumped in a bin in a hangar building at Soham Village College, where the alleged murderer Ian Huntley worked as caretaker.

Huntley, 29, denies the double child murder but has admitted a single charge of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

Maxine Carr, 26, a former classroom assistant at the girls' school, denies conspiring with her ex-boyfriend Huntley to pervert the course of justice and two charges of assisting an offender.

Mr Latham told the court yesterday that Huntley's fingerprints and hair were found in the bin with the blackened remains of the girls' clothing.

And he alleged that there were several links between the clothing and Huntley, his red Ford Fiesta and his house.

Huntley was not in the dock today.

Trial judge Mr Justice Moses explained to the jury yesterday that he had left the dock in the afternoon because he was feeling unwell.

Nothing more was said today about his absence from the dock, where Carr sat alone.

The case continues.