Maxine is Channel 5’s new true crime drama retelling the story of Maxine Carr, the fianceé of murderer Ian Huntley.
Of course, we now know that Ian murdered 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002.
The three-part drama examines the investigation through the eyes of Maxine who was a classroom assistant at the girl’s school.
But where is Maxine Carr now?
And why did the police give her a new identity and lifetime anonymity?
Here’s everything you need to know.
What did Maxine Carr do?
Maxine Carr was the fianceé of Ian Huntley, who was found guilty of murdering 10-year-old girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
Caretaker Huntley was able to lure the girls into his home by telling them that Maxine, their classroom assistant, was at home.
In the recent Channel 5 documentary Huntley: Five Mistakes that Caught a Killer, it was revealed that Maxine Carr spoke about Holly Wells in the past tense during police interviews – which tipped the police off about Ian Huntley’s actions.
Maxine refers to Holly in a TV interview as: “That’s the kind of girl she was. She was just lovely, really lovely.”
Sky News presenter Jeremy Thompson told the documentary: “After that, both my producers went, ‘that was odd wasn’t it? She was speaking in the past tense’.
“Like the girls weren’t around anymore. We should mention that to the police.”
Maxine Carr supported Ian Huntley with a false alibi, lying that she was with him when Holly and Jessica died.
When, in reality, she was 100 miles away in Grimsby.
She had lied to protect her lover.
Did Maxine Carr go to jail?
A judge sentenced Maxine to three and a half years in jail for giving police a fake alibi.
She was found guilty of perverting the course of justice, but NOT assisting an offender.
The jury believed she was not aware of the murders, but was protecting Ian Huntley.
She served just 21 months of her sentence for perverting the course of justice.
Why did police give Maxine a new identity?
On her release from jail in 2004, Maxine was given a new secret identity.
This was amid concerns she would be attacked.
Legal orders gave her lifelong anonymity.
Why does Maxine Carr have lifetime anonymity?
In 2002, the UK government granted Maxine a full new identity.
She was one of only four people in the UK to receive lifetime anonymity for their own protection.
The most famous case before her being the two 10-year-old boys who murdered infant Jamie Bulger.
Over 10 women have said they’ve been attacked in cases of mistaken identity, where people have mistaken them for Maxine Carr.
Since her release from prison in 2004, it has cost the taxpayer around £2.5million to provide Maxine Carr with a new identity and police protection.
Where is Maxine Carr now?
The Sun reports that Maxine has since rebuilt her life.
She married in 2014 in a £2,000 white gown.
It’s unclear if her husband knows her true identity.
Many people have claimed to have sighted Maxine since, but none of these sightings have ever been confirmed.
In 2020, a member of the public revealed her alleged alias, location in the country, and details of her work along with a recent photo.
Police promptly deleted the post.
Police may possibly have given her another new identity since.
Read More: Documentary reveals Maxine Carr error that caught out murderer Ian Huntley
Maxine starts on Monday October 10 2022 at 9pm on Channel 5. It will also be available on My5.
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