A WOMAN who became the victim of a hate campaign after she was mistaken for Maxine Carr has threatened legal action against her tormenters.

Irene Lyttle, 25, claimed that her ordeal began when she moved into a new house in East Kilbride last month.

Neighbours became convinced that she was Maxine Carr, the former girlfriend of the Soham murderer Ian Huntley.

Maxine Carr, 27, was released from jail earlier this year after serving a sentence for providing Huntly, who killed the schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, with a false alibi. Her identity and whereabouts are protected by court order banning anyone from revealing details of her new life.

Ms Lyttle said that a mob of vigilantes from as far afield as Carlisle gathered outside her house, called her a “Soham murderer”, posted death threats on the internet and shoved abusive mail through her letterbox.

Eventually police and housing officials had to escort Ms Lyttle from her home because of fears for her safety.

She said yesterday: “I am living in fear of my life. I am a nervous wreck and I am terrified that someone is going to shoot or beat me. I can’t go home and have to keep moving from house to house each night. Maxine Carr is such a hated figure. I want the world to know I am not Maxine Carr. I hate Maxine Carr and as far as I am concerned she should be put back in prison.”

Ms Lyttle, a former care assistant, has now hired the lawyer Cameron Fyfe and said that she would take legal action if the abuse continued.

Mr Fyfe said: “Ms Lyttle has been the victim of stupidity and localised hysteria. I am advising those that have harassed and abused her and have for some unaccountable reason mistaken her for Maxine Carr that if there is any more reporting of abuse or harassment we shall without warning raise a court action for damages.”

Ms Lyttle said she first learnt of the mistake when she received a telephone call from her landlord at the Cairn Housing Association warning her that people seemed to think she was Maxine Carr. “They told me that they had received umpteen telephone calls that morning and to be careful. That afternoon a woman came round to the house. My boyfriend asked her what she wanted. She said she thought that I was Maxine Carr and wanted something done about it.

“That night there were three cars parked outside my house for ages. Some people were taking photographs and I heard one person shout ‘That’s her’. I called the police. While they were there a woman came to the house and started arguing. Then a disgusting message about me was printed on the internet.”

A police spokesman confirmed they had attended incidents at Ms Lyttle’s house to prevent disturbances.

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