[227] Four months later, her ashes were scattered by her ex-partner, Patricia Cairns, less than 10 miles (16km) from Saddleworth Moor in Stalybridge Country Park. I want nothing, my objective is to die and release myself from this once and for all. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Between December 1997 and March 2000, Hindley made three separate appeals against her life tariff, claiming she was a reformed woman and no longer a danger to society, but each was rejected by the courts. [259] Her often reprinted photograph, taken shortly after she was arrested, is described by some commentators as similar to the mythical Medusa and, according to author Helen Birch, has become "synonymous with the idea of feminine evil". I have always regarded myself as worse than Brady. [195], The mother of the remaining undiscovered victim, Keith Bennett, received a letter from Brady at the end of 2005 in which, she said, he claimed that he could take police to within 20 yards (18m) of her son's body but the authorities would not allow it. She stayed overnight in Manchester, at the flat of the police chief in charge of GMP training at Sedgley Park, Prestwich, and visited the moor twice. [167], On 30 September 2022, Greater Manchester Police began a search for human remains on the moor after receiving information from amateur investigator and author Russell Edwards,[168][169] who had reportedly found a skull. Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images, Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Myra Hindley, Birth Year: 1942, Birth date: July 23, 1942, Birth City: Manchester, Birth Country: England. The following morning Brady and Hindley drove Downey's body to Saddleworth Moor,[74] and buried hernaked with her clothes at her feetin a shallow grave.[75]. In partnership with Ian Brady, she committed the rapes and murders of five small children. [165] In 2012, it was claimed that Brady may have given details of the location of Bennett's body to a visitor; a woman was subsequently arrested on suspicion of preventing the burial of a body without lawful excuse, but a few months later the Crown Prosecution Service announced that there was insufficient evidence to press charges. The monastery where, as an infant in 1942, Hindley had been baptised a Catholic, had a lasting effect on her. [16], Myra Hindley was born in Crumpsall on 23 July 1942[17][18] to parents Nellie and Bob Hindley and raised in Gorton, then a working-class area of Manchester dominated by Victorian slum housing. [35], In 1985, Brady allegedly told Fred Harrison, a journalist working for The Sunday People, that he had killed Reade and Bennett,[126] something the police already suspected as both lived near Brady and Hindley and had disappeared at about the same time as Kilbride and Downey. [109], Brady and Hindley were charged with murdering Evans, Downey and Kilbride. At first, Smith refused to name the newspaper, risking contempt of court; when he eventually identified the News of the World, Jones, as Attorney General, immediately promised an investigation. He died in 2017, at Ashworth, aged 79. [238] Downey's mother died in 1999 from cancer of the liver. [266] Manchester band The Smiths' song "Suffer Little Children", from their 1984 self-titled debut album, was also inspired by the case. [151], Although Brady and Hindley had confessed to the murders of Reade and Bennett, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided that nothing would be gained by a further trial; as both were already serving life sentences no further punishment could be inflicted. Brady met Myra in the mid-1960s, and she immediately developed passionate feelings for him. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. After confessing to these additional murders, Brady and Hindley were taken separately to Saddleworth Moor to assist in the search for the graves. [56] Despite a huge search, she was not found. Their home was vandalised, they regularly received hate mail, and Maureen wrote that she could not let her children out of her sight when they were small. She was 60. The marriage was hastily arranged and performed at a register office. Best Known For: Myra Hindley was a serial killer of small children, murders she committed in partnership with boyfriend Ian Brady. Various authors have stated that he tortured animals, although Brady objected to such accusations. Myra Hindley, who became one of Britain's most hated women because of her involvement in a string of child killings in the 1960's, died today, the Prison Service said. She took up a collection for a wreath; his funeral was held at St Francis's Monastery in Gorton Lane. He made it clear that he never wished to be released and repeatedly asked to be allowed to die. GMP apologised to the Reade family. On his release from prison, Smith moved in with a 15-year-old girl who became his second wife and won custody of his three sons. [136] Writing in 1989, Topping said that he felt "quite cynical" about Hindley's motivation in helping the police. Smith then went to the police with his story, including Brady having mentioned that more bodies were buried on Saddleworth Moor. [106] Hindley wrote to her mother: I feel as though my heart's been torn to pieces. Brady and Hindley became friendly with Patricia Hodges, an 11-year-old girl who lived at 12Wardle Brook Avenue. Hindley was apparently jealous of their friendship, but became closer to her sister. [95], Officers making inquiries at neighbouring houses spoke to 12-year-old Patricia Hodges, who had on several occasions been taken to Saddleworth Moor by Brady and Hindley, and was able to point out their favourite sites along the A635 road. [35][40][a] Although Hindley was not a qualified driver (she passed her test on 7 November 1963 after failing three times),[43] she often hired a van, in which the couple planned bank robberies. Myra and Ian tortured and murdered five children between 1963 and 1965 and the series shines a light on some of the never-previously-seen prison letters between the killers. [76] Hindley's family had not approved of Maureen's marriage to Smith, who had several criminal convictions, including actual bodily harm and housebreaking, the first of which, wounding with intent, occurred when he was 11. Keith Bennett disappeared on 16 June 1964. Four months later, 12-year-old John Kilbride disappeared, never to be seen again. There were always suspicions there may have been more. [131] Police nevertheless decided to resume their search of Saddleworth Moor, once more using the photographs taken by Brady and Hindley to help them identify possible burial sites. In May 1966 Brady, then 28, was convicted, along with lover Myra Hindley, of murdering 10-year-old Lesley Ann Downey and 17-year-old Edward Evans. [208], Hindley was told that she should spend twenty-five years in prison before being considered for parole. Now a new . This time, the level of security surrounding her visit was considerably higher. Some individuals with deceased relatives have continued to search for their physical remains after the deaths of the murderers. [11], Within a year of moving to Manchester, Brady was caught with a sack full of lead seals he had stolen and was trying to smuggle out of the market. All Rights Reserved. [114] When Smith accepted the News of the World offerits editors had promised additional future payments for syndication and serialisationhe agreed to be paid 15 weekly until the trial, and 1,000 in a lump sum if Brady and Hindley were convicted. Even Hindley's mother insisted that she should die in prison, partly for fear for Hindley's safety. She burst into tears and ran to her father, who threatened to "leather" her if she did not retaliate; Hindley found the boy and knocked him down with a series of punches. Testing her blind allegiance, Brady hatched plans of rape and murder. Brady and Hindley killed five children - Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans all aged between 10 and 17, and at least four of whom were sexually. The murders were the result of what Malcolm MacCulloch, professor of forensic psychiatry at Cardiff University, described as a "concatenation of circumstances". [98] That same day, already being held for the murder of Evans, Brady and Hindley appeared at Hyde Magistrates' Court charged with Downey's murder. [110] The Attorney General, Sir Elwyn Jones, led the prosecution, assisted by William Mars-Jones. The story tells a fictionalised account of the Leopold and Loeb case, two young men from well-to-do families who attempt to commit the perfect murder of a 12-year-old boy, and who escape the death penalty because of their age. For Hindley, this demonstrated a marked change from her earlier, more shy and prudish nature.[45]. She divorced Smith in 1973,[235] and married a lorry driver, Bill Scott, with whom she had a daughter. [35] The dock was fitted with bullet proof glass to protect Brady and Hindley because it was feared that someone might try and kill them. [233] After declining to prosecute the News of the World, Attorney General Sir Elwyn Jones came under political pressure to impose new regulations on the press, but was reluctant to legislate on "chequebook journalism". She took a job at Bratby and Hinchliffe, an engineering company in Gorton, but was dismissed for absenteeism after six months. [234], After stabbing another man during a fight, in an attack he claimed was triggered by the abuse he had suffered since the trial, Smith was sentenced to three years in prison in 1969. After a few minutes Brady reappeared in the company of 17-year-old Edward Evans, an apprentice engineer who lived in Ardwick, to whom he introduced Hindley as his sister. [164] Donations from the public funded a search by volunteers from a Welsh search and rescue team in 2010. She was never released and died in prison in 2002. She also asked to join a pistol club, but she was a poor shot and allegedly often bad-tempered, so Clitheroe told her that she was unsuitable; she did though manage to purchase a Webley .45 and a Smith & Wesson .38 from other members of the club. [132] It ended: "I am a simple woman, I work in the kitchens of Christie's Hospital. [154] Brady was taken to the moor a second time on 8 December, and claimed to have located Bennett's burial site,[155][156] but the body was never found. In 2011, he co-authored the book Witness with biographer Carol Ann Lee. She was born and raised in Manchester's Gorton, a working-class community. [50] Hindley hired a vehicle a week after Kilbride went missing, and again on 21 December, apparently to make sure the burial sites at Saddleworth Moor had not been disturbed. The victims were five childrenPauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward Evansaged between 10 and 17, at least four of whom were sexually assaulted. After the drowning death of a close male friend when she was 15, Hindley left school and converted to Roman Catholicism. [258] Hindley's role in the crimes also violated gender norms: her betrayal of the maternal role fed public perceptions of her "inherent evil", and made her a "poster girl" for moral panics about serial murder and paedophilia in subsequent decades. He was lying with his head and shoulders on the couch and his legs were on the floor. Hindley did not approve of the marriage, and her mother was too embarrassed as Maureen was seven months pregnant. It was simply beyond the realms of most people's comprehension, and this is why they managed to get away with it for so long. [127], Since Brady and Hindley's arrests, newspapers had been keen to connect them to other missing children and teenagers from the area. At 6:10a.m., having waited for daylight and armed himself with a screwdriver and bread knife in case Brady was planning to intercept him Smith called police from a phone box on the estate. [198], After receiving end-of-life care, Brady died of restrictive pulmonary disease at Ashworth Hospital on 15 May 2017;[199] the inquest found that he died of natural causes and that his hunger strike had not been a contributory factor. Hindley later claimed that she waited in the van while Brady took Reade onto the moor. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [232] During the trial, Maureeneight months pregnantwas attacked in the lift of the building in which she and Smith lived. [115] During the trial, the judge and defence barristers repeatedly questioned Smith and his wife about the nature of the arrangement. The next day, Brady suggested that the four take a day-trip to Windermere. [149], Over the next few months interest in the search waned, but Hindley's clue had focused efforts on a specific area. I heard the blow, it was a terrible hard blow, it sounded horrible. [261] Given Hindley's status as co-defendant in the first serial murder trial held since the abolition of the death penalty,[262] retribution was a common theme among those who sought to keep her locked away. Hindley's first job was as a junior clerk at a local electrical engineering firm. I wanted her to suffer like I have. It would never have been possible to carry out such a search in private. Brady was diagnosed as a psychopath in 1985 and confined in the high-security Ashworth Hospital. A number of authors stated that as a child he tortured animals, although Brady objected to these accusations. [185] In 1999, his right wrist was broken in what he claimed was an "hour-long, unprovoked attack" by staff. [99] They made a two-minute appearance on 28 October, and were again remanded into custody. In 1982, the Lord Chief Justice Lord Lane said of Brady: "this is the case if ever there is to be one when a man should stay in prison till he dies". [21] Malcolm MacCulloch, professor of forensic psychiatry at Cardiff University, has written that Hindley's "relationship with her father brutalised her She was not only used to violence in the home but rewarded for it outside. Born on July 23, 1942, in Manchester, England, Hindley grew up with her grandmother. Over a period of 18 months in the 1960s, Brady and his accomplice, Myra Hindley, kidnapped and murdered five children in north-west England. [243] He remarried and moved to Lincolnshire with his three sons,[231][244] and was exonerated of any participation in the Moors murders by Hindley's confession in 1987. [173], Following his conviction Brady was moved to HM Prison Durham, where he asked to live in solitary confinement. [29] She soon became infatuated with Brady, despite learning that he had a criminal record. He was regarded by his colleagues as a quiet, punctual, but short-tempered young man. Hindley claimed that Brady began to talk about "committing the perfect murder" in July 1963,[47] and often spoke to her about Meyer Levin's Compulsion, published as a novel in 1956 and adapted for the cinema in 1959. [176], The trial judge recommended that Brady's life sentence should mean life, and successive Home Secretaries agreed with that decision. . [215] She rejected the idea and in early 1998 was moved to the medium-security HM Prison Highpoint;[216] the House of Lords ruling left open the possibility of later freedom. After about thirty minutes Brady returned alone, carrying a spade that he had hidden there earlier, and, in response to Hindley's questions, said that he had sexually assaulted Bennett and strangled him with a piece of string. The lad was still screaming Ian had a hatchet in his hand he was holding it above his head and he hit the lad on the left side of his head with the hatchet. Brady later claimed that he had picked up Evans for a sexual encounter. The family home was in poor condition and Hindley was forced to sleep in a single bed next to her parents' double bed. Cairns was sentenced to six years in jail for her part in the plot. He left the academy aged 15 and took a job as a tea boy at a Harland and Wolff shipyard in Govan. The murders of Keith Bennett and Pauline Reade were not attributed to Myra Hindley and Ian Brady until 1985, after "Suffer Little Children" had already been released. The phrase "Hindley wakes and Hindley says; Hindley wakes, Hindley wakes . )[33] Their dates followed a regular pattern: a trip to the cinema, usually to watch an X-rated film, then back to Hindley's house to drink German wine. [53] The couple never harmed Hodges, since she lived only a few doors away, which would have made it easy for police to solve any disappearance. The pair were convicted of murdering five children, although the true number will never be known. [264] Tabloid newspapers branded him a "loony" and a "do-gooder" for supporting Hindley, whom they described as evil. Myra Hindley was a serial killer of small children, murders she committed in partnership with boyfriend Ian Brady. Hodges accompanied the two on their trips to Saddleworth Moor to collect peat, something that many householders on the new estate did to improve the soil in their gardens, which were full of clay and builder's rubble. She dies on 15 th. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee. He saw no point in making any kind of public apology; instead, he "expresse[d] remorse through actions". Brady returned alone after about thirty minutes, and took Hindley to the spot where Reade lay dying; Reade's clothes were in disarray and she had been nearly decapitated[67] by two cuts to the throat, including a four-inch incision across her voice box "inflicted with considerable force" and into which the collar of her coat and a throat chain had been pushed. As a child, she lived with Nellie Hindley in a little two-up, two-down semi-detached house. Brady was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences and Hindley was given two, plus a concurrent seven-year term for harbouring Brady in the knowledge that he had murdered Kilbride. On the evening of 6 October 1965, Hindley drove Brady to Manchester Central railway station, where she waited outside in the car whilst he selected a victim. [219] Hindley's release seemed imminent and plans were made by supporters for her to be given a new identity. [84] Hindley denied there had been any violence, and allowed police to look around the house. Brady was an unusual person with a criminal background, which she was aware of. [116] Comparing Smith's testimony with his initial statements to police, Atkinsonthough describing the paper's actions as "gross interference with the course of justice"concluded it was not "substantially affected" by the financial incentive. [48], By June 1963, Brady had moved in with Hindley at her grandmother's house in Bannock Street, and on 12 July, the two murdered their first victim, Pauline Reade, who had attended school with Hindley's younger sister Maureen, and had also been in a short relationship with David Smith, a local boy with three criminal convictions for minor crimes. [87], Police searching the house at Wardle Brook Avenue found an old exercise book with the name "John Kilbride", which made them suspect that Brady and Hindley had been involved in the disappearances of other young people. [138] Police closed all roads onto the moor, which was patrolled by 200 officers, some armed. (1942-2002) Who Was Myra Hindley? [201] He was cremated without a ceremony, and his ashes disposed of at sea during the night. Her subsequent applications for parole were denied. [245] Smith died from cancer in Ireland in 2012. [121], On 6 May, after having deliberated for a little over two hours,[123] the jury found Brady guilty of all three murders, and Hindley guilty of the murders of Downey and Evans. [3] Their crimes were the subject of extensive worldwide media coverage. Myra Hindley was an English serial killer. [220] Home Secretary David Blunkett ordered the GMP to find new charges against Hindley to prevent her release from prison. [191], According to Cowley, Brady regretted Hindley's imprisonment and the consequences of their actions, but not necessarily the crimes themselves. [44] Brady and Hindley's plans for robbery came to nothing, but they became interested in photography. Brady was an amazing individual with a lawbreaker background, which she knew. I deserved it. Then the screams carried on, one after another really loud. Brady was found guilty of the murders of Downey, Kilbride and Evans, while Hindley was found guilty of the murders of Downey and Evans, and for harboring Brady, in the knowledge that he had killed Kilbride. One such victim was Stephen Jennings, a three-year-old West Yorkshire boy who was last seen alive in December 1962; his body was found buried in a field in 1988, but the following year his father, William Jennings, was found guilty of his murder. [25] Hindley was increasingly drawn to the Roman Catholic Church after she started at Ryder Brow Secondary Modern, and began taking instruction for formal reception into the Church soon after Higgins's funeral. Myra Hindley died in 2002. In June 1957,[23] one of Hindley's closest friends, 13-year-old Michael Higgins, invited Hindley to go swimming with friends at a local disused reservoir, but she instead went out elsewhere with another friend. Hindley and Brady murdered five children, aged between 10 and 17, in the Greater Manchester area between July 1963 and October 1965. The pair were charged only for the murders of Kilbride, Downey and Evans, and received life sentences under a whole life tariff. Myra Hindley was an English serial killer. [38] The couple were regulars at the library, borrowing books on philosophy, as well as crime and torture. She was the first child of Bob Hindley and his wife, Hettie. [248], Reade's mother was admitted to Springfield Mental Hospital in Manchester. Then I heard Myra shout, "Dave, help him," very loud. [73], Brady and Hindley visited a funfair in Ancoats on 26 December 1964 and noticed that 10-year-old Lesley Ann Downey was apparently alone. They drove to Brady and Hindley's home at Wardle Brook Avenue, where they relaxed over a bottle of wine. [162] In mid-2009, the GMP said they had exhausted all avenues in the search for Bennett, that "only a major scientific breakthrough or fresh evidence would see the hunt for his body restart";[163] and that any further participation by Brady would be via a "walk through the moors virtually" using 3D modelling, rather than a visit by him to the moor. It was displayed at the Sensation exhibition of Young British Artists at the Royal Academy of Art in London from 8 September to 28 December 1997. The following day, Hindley brought her grandmother back home. Hindley later maintained that she went to fill a bath for Downey and found her dead when she returned; Brady claimed that Hindley killed Downey. At some point Brady sent Hindley to fetch Smith, her brother-in-law. After being discovered drunk on alcohol he had brewed, he was moved to the much tougher unit in Hull. Bob served in a parachute regiment during World War II so was absent for the majority of the first three years of Hindley's life. [222] Just prior to this, on 15November 2002, Hindley, aged 60 and a chain smoker, died from bronchial pneumonia at West Suffolk Hospital. [192] Twenty years of transcribing classical texts into braille came to an end when the authorities confiscated Brady's translation machine, for fear it might be used as a weapon. Brady was in the back of the van. Each was brought before the court separately and remanded into custody for a week. "[85], Though Hindley was not initially arrested, she demanded to go with Brady to the police station, taking her dog. She was known for being a Criminal. As she wrote later, "At eight years old I'd scored my first victory". [12] As he was still under 18, Brady was sentenced to two years in a borstal for "training". [189], In 2001, Brady wrote The Gates of Janus, which was published by the US underground publisher Feral House. But that would be to underestimate the astonishing depths of depravity depicted within, acts said to have inspired the unthinkable crimes of Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. British criminal and perpetrator of the infamous "Moors murders". [69], In the early evening of 23 November 1963, at a market in Ashton-under-Lyne, Brady and Hindley offered 12-year-old John Kilbride a lift home, saying his parents might worry that he was out so late; they also promised him a bottle of sherry. [15], In January 1959, Brady applied for, and was offered, a clerical job at Millwards, a wholesale chemical distribution company based in Gorton. Wearing a bread deliveryman's overall on top of his uniform, he asked Hindley at the back door if her husband was home. [180] In one letter, written in 2005, Brady claimed that the murders were "merely an existential exercise of just over a year, which was concluded in December 1964". During the 1990s, Hindley claimed that she took part in the killings only because Brady had drugged her, was blackmailing her with pornographic pictures he had taken of her, and had threatened to kill Maureen. [246][247], In 1977, a BBC television debate discussed arguments for and against Hindley's release, with Lord Longford, a Catholic convert, on the side who argued that she should be released, and Downey's mother arguing against her release and threatening to kill her were the release to occur. First victim Pauline Reade, 16, disappeared on her way to a . Hindley, along with her boyfriend Ian Brady . In February 1964, she bought a second-hand Austin Traveller, but soon after traded it for a Mini van. [228][229] The Manchester Evening News reported on possible fears that this would result in visitors choosing to avoid or vandalise the park. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to two days' detention. says", "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", "Ian Brady resumes search for boy's grave", "1987: Moors murderer claims more killings", "Police call off search for Moors murder victim", "Spy satellite used in fresh bid to reveal Moors Murderers final secret", "Moors Murders: Donations fund search for Keith Bennett", "Ian Brady's mental health advocate will not face charges", "Moors Murders: 'Unlock Ian Brady's briefcases' plea", "Police to begin dig for Moors murder victim 58 years after he went missing", "Moors Murders: Search for Keith Bennett's body restarts", "Police dig for Moors victim Keith Bennett after skull reportedly found", "Moors Murders: No remains yet found in search for Keith Bennett", "Search ends for Moors murder victim Keith Bennett after no remains found", "UK's longest-serving prisoner, Straffen, dies", "Force feeding of Ian Brady declared lawful", "Ian Brady will not necessarily kill himself if moved to jail, tribunal hears", "Ian Brady should stay in psychiatric hospital, tribunal rules", "Ian Brady's ashes "not to be scattered at Saddleworth Moor", "Ian Brady: Moors Murderer "would remove feeding tube", "Moors Murderer Ian Brady died of natural causes, coroner confirms", "Moors Murders: Judge rules on Ian Brady body disposal", "Moors Murders: Ian Brady's ashes disposed of at sea", "Thatcher overruled minister to keep Moors murderers locked up for life", "Ian Brady: How the Moors Murderer came to symbolise pure evil", "Howard considers moving Hindley to open prison", "Regina v. Secretary of State For The Home Department, Ex Parte Hindley", "Myra Hindley, the Moors monster, dies after 36 years in jail", "I have no compassion for her. Clitheroe, although puzzled by her interest, arranged for her to buy a .22 rifle from a gun merchant in Manchester. When she denied that she had a husband or that a man was in the house, Talbot identified himself. [240] It was a threat repeated by her son Danny. Childkiller Myra Hindley was a b*tch and I slapped her for singing, says 'Black Widow' Keith Bennett, 12, was on his way to his grandmother's house on June 16, 1964, when Hindley enticed him. She worked as a clerk at an . Subjected to whispering campaigns and petitions to remove her from the estate where she lived, Maureen received no support from her familyher mother had supported Myra during the trial. When the signal came, Smith knocked on the door and was met by Brady, who asked if he had come for "the miniature wine bottles",[76] and left him in the kitchen saying that he was going to collect the wine. His mother continued to visit him throughout his childhood.