Maxine Carr

The Home Office has come under fire from opposition politicians after papers relating to the release of Maxine Carr were stolen from an official's car.

The documents were later found dumped on Hampstead Heath in west London.  A police investigation is now underway.

Carr is being released on Friday after serving a three-year sentence for conspiring to pervert the course of justice with Soham murderer Ian Huntley.

A spokesman for the Home Office has insisted that the theft has had "no impact" on her release date, but shadow home secretary David Davis called on the home secretary to "explain how this happened".

"They [the documents] would normally be held under lock and key because they relate to the safety of someone, of Maxine Carr, from some sort of vigilante attack and they do cost a fortune to produce, so it beggars belief," he said.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten described the incident as "breathtaking".

"It's extraordinary that documents of this nature should be left in a car," he said.

"I would have thought that documents like this should remain in a secure place in the Home Office."

"It really does beg the question how many other sensitive documents like this are being taken around by Home Office staff out of the secure environment," he added.

Carr has been transferred from Foston Hall Prison to a new location in preparation for her release.  She remains the responsibility of the Prison Service.