Prisons chief may block release of Maxine Carr
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Maxine Carr has been put forward for early release by the governor of Holloway prison in north London under the electronic tagging scheme.
With the Prison Service's approval she could be free, seven weeks after she was jailed. But Martin Narey, the commissioner for correctional services, is considering whether to use new powers introduced in response to her case to refuse permission on the ground that it would undermine public confidence in the tagging scheme.
Carr, 26, was convicted of lying for her partner Ian Huntley during the police investigation into the disappearance of the Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, aged 10, in 2002. Huntley was convicted last December of their murder and jailed for life.
Carr was sentenced to three-and-a-half years imprisonment, and has been in custody since her arrest in August 2002, which means she will have completed half her sentence by mid-May.
She became eligible for early release last month under the home detention curfew scheme. Prisoners freed under the scheme are fitted with an electronic tag that triggers an alarm if they leave their home during a curfew period.
Ed Willetts, the governor of Holloway jail, has approved Carr's application to join the electronic tagging scheme, but the final decision rests with Mr Narey.
Christopher Meyer, the head of the Press Complaints Commission, has warned newspaper editors to think carefully before paying for Carr's story.