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OVER A TWO-year period in the 1960s, five children were brutally tortured and killed on Saddleworth Moors near Manchester in England.
Lesley Ann Downey (10), John Kilbride (12), Pauline Reade (16), Keith Bennett (12) and Edward Evans (17) were all abducted by convicted murderer Ian Brady and his accomplice Myra Hindley.
Four bodies have been recovered but the remains of 12-year-old Keith Bennett have never been found. Today, the man convicted of committing the heinous crimes is pleading his sanity in a UK court.
He wants to be transferred out of the high-security hospital where he is currently held and moved to an ordinary prison for sane offenders.
TheJournal.ie takes a look back at the horrific events of 1963 to 1965 and the subsequent court hearings and confessions.
1961: Myra Hindley and Ian Brady met while working for a chemical company in Hyde, Greater Manchester and started a relationship.
12 July 1963: A 16-year-old girl, Pauline Reade, vanishes as she makes her way to a disco at the Railway Workers’ Social Club. Hindley took her to Saddleworth Moor in her car, with Brady following. She was attacked and killed.
Image: PA Archive/Press Association Images
23 November 1963: John Kilbride, 12, was snatched from a local market in Ashton-under-Lyne by Hindley and taken to a car where Brady was waiting. He was then brought to the moors, sexually assaulted and killed.
16 June 1964: A third victim, Keith Bennett – also 12-years-old – failed to turn up to his grandmother’s home in Gorton. Again, Hindley had taken him in her car to Saddleworth where Hindley attacked and murdered him.
September 1964: Brady and Hindley moved into Hindley’s grandmother’s home in a Hattersley council estate. Here, Brady met Myra’s sister Maureen and her 17-year-old husband David Smith. Brady was always keen to impress his new male housemate.
26 December 1964: Ten-year-old Lesley-Ann Downey was the pair’s fourth and youngest victim. She was kidnapped from a funfair in Ancoats on Boxing Day but was not brought to the secluded moors. This time, Hindley brought the child to their home, where she was photographed and filmed naked. She was tortured, sexually assaulted and strangled to death.
6 October 1965: Brady kills 17-year-old Edward Evans in front of David Smith at their home.
7 October 1965: Smith tells police what he saw the day before and a search of the house is conducted. Police found evidence of other murders, as well as Evans’s body.
Plans are put together for a complete search of Saddleworth Moor near Woodhead, which gets underway within days.
Image date 15 October 1965
21 October 1965: The remains of 12-year-old John Kilbride are found in a shallow grave on the moors, near Ashton-under-Lyne.
21 April 1966: The trials of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley began. Still a teenager, David Smith was a key witness in the case, giving evidence during the 14 days of proceedings.
Smith later remarried and moved to Ireland. He lived with his family in Connemara, where he died earlier this year. He was 65. Read his life story in The Daily Telegraph‘s obituary.
6 May 1966: Both Brady and Hindley were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Brady was convicted of the murders of Lesley Ann, John and Edward, while Hindley was found guilty of two of the murders – Evans and Downey. She received another sentence for being an accessory to the killing of young John Kilbride.
Image: Ian Brady in the back of a police car prior to his earlier court appearance.
1985: Brady was moved to the high-security Ashworth Psychiatric Hospital in Merseyside after being declared criminally insane.
1986: Searches of the moors continued to be carried out for the remains of Pauline Reade and Keith Bennett as a new investigation was launched following claims from a journalist that Brady confessed to the other two killings.
Image date: 25 November 1986
1987: The pair finally admitted to killing Keith and Pauline and were taken back to Saddleworth Moor – at separate times – to help police find the remains of the missing victims. Only Pauline’s body was found. Keith’s remains have never been discovered.
Police refused to allow Brady to return for a third time after proving unhelpful and reportedly basking in the public attention.
The DPP decided not to trial the killers for the two murders as they were already serving life sentences, deeming it not in the public’s interest.
Image: Winnie Johnson and her 23 year old son Joey dig on Saddleworth Moor in a bid to find the remains of her 12 year old son Keith Bennett.
February 1997: Lawyers for Myra Hindley plead for an early release but a London court decided she will spend the rest of her life behind bars with no possibilities for parole.
Campaigners were satisfied with the judgement but penal reformers and other activists believed the ‘whole-life’ term to be out of keel with modern-day sentencing practices.
Image: by Ben Curtis/PA
September 1999: Brady goes on hunger strike after complaining about being moved to a more secure room. He has been tube fed ever since.
28 February 2000: Brady makes his first court appearance in over 30 years as he tries to win the right to die.
Image: a police convoy escorts a van carrying Ian Brady away from Liverpool Crown Court.
15 November 2002: Myra Hindley dies in prison. She was 60.
September 2009: Brady begins another right-to-die campaign. This attempt involves trying to gain permission for a transfer to a Scottish prison where he would be allowed to die.
27 March 2010: A privately-funded search for Keith Bennett’s remains begins. His ageing mother Winnie Johnson says it is her only desire to give her son a family burial before she dies.
3 July 2012: Brady suffers a seizure and spends several nights in hospital. The tribunal examining his application to be transferred to a Scottish jail is delayed as a result.
August 2012: Police in England investigated the possibility that convicted murderer Ian Brady revealed where he buried one of his victims in a letter written to Winnie Johnson. He didn’t and just days later, the tortured mother died without finding her son.
Today: Ian Brady argues that he is sane so that he can be transferred to a normal prison rather than remaining in the high-security hospital he is currently held.
This post first appeared on 17 August 2012.
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I know a lot of people will scoff at this (who cares etc) but I for one thoroughly enjoyed rte’s kids shows when I was young. I know the tv landscape is different now, but I still think this is a shame.
Fortycoats was savage telly. I heard that Slightly Bonkers is an Rte exec now, or married to one.
Bosco was great show, cheesey as it was.
That’s because you had 2 channels to pick from at the time. You didn’t have a choice but to watch them.
I know Ben, but we were happy watching them all the same.
Preferred Bosco to Playschool on BBC!
Most young people watch YouTube, Netflix, online content , or they are glued to their smart phone not to mention the hundreds of digital channels to choose from, younger people are more sophisticated a sock puppet in a box & a magic door doesn’t cut it anymore !
@Hugh Mannatee:The first one was Mrs. Burgess in the Snapper.
Cut the huge salaries tubs.darcy o callaghan finucane Duffy etc.and keep the children’s programme’s.
Remember when Pat Kenny went to UTV and all the media were saying how big a coup it was, how he would draw in the audiences, how did that turn out?
These deluded eejits think their big salaries are justified because they’re irreplaceable and a big draw, most of RTÉs big names are wooden and charmless and wouldn’t be missed.
Demographics play a big, big part in it, RTE is the mainstay for alot of the mid to older generations, radio and television combined. Its not the presenter or producer, its the generations growing up on what station the parents and grandparents watched or listened to. RTE are continually focused on keeping the return customer, but are slowly realizing that the younger generation are well ahead of traditional products that they offer. It will in time catch up and will have all programs independently produced. Then we will have value for money, – the licence fee going to costs of production as opposed to the cost of salary of presenters.
@Tony Mcgrath:
Great idea, that will bring in the advertisement revenues alright
Except for Zig and Zag
It would make you wonder where all the license money goes. Oh I forgot it goes towards RTEs staffs paltry salaries and pensions.
Seemingly 12 million of it goes on the RTE concert orchestra. More than double what they spend on their entire internet presence.
@Paul Mc:
Very small pensions. All the high earners are self employed
@Nick Allen: Don’t let facts get in the way of a blind rant.
Doesn’t RTE have a massive pension deficit?
Screaming
I don’t but obviously you do. What a stupid post.
We are a country that is obsessed with what other people earn.
Be it public sector workers, RTE, you name it.
I couldn’t be arsed what others earn, only what I can earn for my family.
Well when we are paying their salaries via taxes and tv licences I think we have every right to be interested in what they are paid and asking are we getting value for our money.
Because at the end of the day that does impact what you earn for your family.
That’s me told Nick Allen. Stupid is as stupid does
@ Ted Logan. Explain how RTE staff (me) are getting paid our wages through your taxes ??? I get paid by RTE, RTE isn’t public sector, I don’t get paid by the government. Also a little FYI, the licence fee money doesn’t go towards paying anyone’s wages in RTE, it can’t !!!
Sickens me to pay the tv licence for the utter shite that’s on RTE 1, the only good programmes it puts on are repeats of Only Fools and Horses, and Fawlty Towers. As for Network 2 , that died a death a long time ago!
@Breda Jennings:
Over 10% of the population watch the late late every week. Considering the competition for viewership on a Friday night from other stations that is a really impressive number
Love the red thumbs. Makes you wonder about people
True 10%, but again licence fee going to help pay the fee of ridiculous guests such as Katie Hopkins who should not be given any air time at all.
Glad to say I dont pay a penny towards Tubs salary anymore, a tv licence is not a thing I have had for years!
People are di€ks Nick, people are di€ks.
Why should we not hear what Katie Hopkins has to say Breda?
Darcy could do with being sent down the river too.
Happy days watching pajo’s jukebox on sat morning
…and of course zig and zag, Bosco etc
Oh no couldn’t stand Bosco the whinging voice drove me nuts
loved Bosco !
@Suzie Sunshine: Did you really Suzie I guess if we all liked the same things it would be boring….wanderly wagon was another one ugh but my brothers loved it
RTE have an apparent select number of regulars who they wheel in and out of radio and TV programmes. These particular presenters don’t come cheaply and present in the same ol’ same ol’ fashion all the time, they are Tiresome boring and one trick ponies who are past their stale date. Perhaps RTE should consider importing adult programmes before altering the children’s schedule.
Hopefully this move will mean the end of the godawful Late Late Toy Show with all those creepy dancing children with Vaseline on their teeth.
Never got that. As a kid I hated the singing and dancing. Kids really hate watching “talented” kids strut their stuff.
They made plenty of stuff I really enjoyed as a child so its sad to see this door closed on RTE. Besides from the Den and its characters I actually liked the Disney Club, Echo Island, Stream and Creature Feature.
Childrens programming and Sports coverage were the two things I’ve felt RTE always did very well and it’s poor indictment of the organisation that these would be the first things to be scrapped in difficult times. You wonder what sort of sense it makes for their long term ambitions to double down their resources on the over 50 audience and let everyone else feck off to the internet.
I don’t pay the license fee. I never watch it, they have all the advertising Tv3 and Utv Ireland, have but hey it’s a level playing field.
@sparky:
Its not a level playing field. Educate yourself a little about what RTE must do before posting BS
@sparky: You don’t pay so who cares what you think.
@ Nick Allen. what’s your point..I must educate myself on the advertising RTE receive. or my ” tongue in cheek comment”
Sparky, you might not pay for the license but you still pay in other ways. For example it costs 20 million a year in general taxation to administer the collection of the license fee and about the same to cover the inspectors. Not to mention what it costs the state to prosecute non payment. Like it or lump it you’re paying even if you’re not paying.
@Screaming Toddy. I don’t care who thinks what I think but do I care what you think because you “pay”..probably not..
@Poole Hyde. Well that means I’m only paying once…correct me if I’m wrong..are you paying twice.
Sparky
To educate yourself about the facts before posting rubbish. RTÉ is not playing on a level playing field as they must make a certain amount of programmes in the Irish language and specifically cover rural issues that would not have a positive commercial business case
Sparky
You are starting to sound a tad confused :)
@Sparky. God no… I honestly have no need for RTE what so ever. Their news sucks, their feeble attempts at drama are laughable and don’t even get me started on their sports coverage. Technically though I don’t have a television by legal standards. The law is very clear in that you need a set capable of receiving television signals for general broadcast. I’ve a 40″ inch computer monitor I picked up for 300 euro and stream content not “available for general broadcast”.Granted it’s sitting in the corner of the room like a conventional TV but they can kiss the back of my bollix if they think I’m paying a license for it. Nearly everything is either available through catch up/streaming services, Netflix/Prime or even on YouTube.I kept the receipt as well and it clearly states it’s a computer monitor.My 4g reception is even good enough not to need conventional broadband so happy days.
We will never see the likes of Kevin from Galway again.
FFFGLAB mouthpiece, should be sold off
There’s a clever leftie there. Sell off the public broadcaster. Let me guess, to a private company that will be a mouthpiece for who?
If it stops another Ray darcy getting through the net then so be it.Jaysus he’s worse than worse.
@Greg Kelly. .sell it ta f#ck..won’t make a difference in my life.
Why don’t they sell off RTE Radio2 and try to get dept of Gaelteach to take over TG4
Then they would have enough money for children’s programmes
Every current affairs programme has a SF politician they must live in Montrose
@Dave cullen: The sad thing is, look who came after Ray-they had less of an impact, either down to not being good enough, or no charisma. Francie, Damien whatever his name was. They disappeared.
But the first two presenters of the Den-Ian and Ray, they hung around. They had presence. Ian is still a favourite presenter of mine, tbh-both he has talent and presence on the radio.
Ray used to have genuine talent-like, back in the days of The Den, Blackboard Jungle, Jo Maxi, his early footsteps in radio, etc. He was a genuine talent, his listenership would constantly prove a pain in the neck to RTE because he was a rival presenter they allowed to go to another station.
But boy did he become an opinionated jerk.
And a twittering fool at times- the PAmela Anderson/ Dean Strang interview, for example- that was painful, both times. I tuned in, on my tv for the Strang interview…shouldn’t have bothered, tbh. But the ‘JAck Nicholson interview’…that was horrific. And he didn’t take blame, he passed the buck, but the buck rested on his shoulders.
God, he had so much potential…what happened?
@Greg Kelly: ‘Clever leftie’ ? No idea what that means, I am actually right handed…
Yes, sell off the Montrose Bubble, the inflated salaries will disappear, the propaganda will be phased out
Children’s programmes will still be broadcast by RTÉ, they just won’t be produced by RTÉ. I doubt that children will notice the difference.
@ Ciaràn Masterson…no they probably won’t but who cares about our culture…
@sparky:
When Irish culture is mentioned, people usually think of novels and stage plays, e.g. The Playboy of the Western World, not children’s programmes.
@sparky: Irish independent programme makers still exist and can make children’s TV so what are you on about.
@ Ciaràn Masterson. How do you define culture…Glenroe played a big part in my cultural upbringing. .as it did in many of the Irish households. .
@sparky:
Of course, culture includes drama – on film, television and the stage – but my point still stands.
@ Ciaràn Masterson. .of course it does..but you have to remember but ‘maybe” you’re too young to remember when RTE is all us country folk had.
Now all we need is for them to stop making TV programs for older people too
‘member Jo Maxi?
any chance they’d stop making any shows?? maybe fcuk off so we don’t have to pay for the tripe the force upon us ????
This is disgraceful TV licences pay for content for all of the citizens of the country
Bring back the den!!!
tv license should be a bit cheaper now so
So there goes another piece of a state asset, over to the private sector a bit more…
More money to pay muppets like Tubridy instead!
Another cost saver, out-source all foreign correspondent jobs. We have Rte reporters scattered far and wide. How many boiled eggs are consumed in Tokyo on a Wednesday morning? Over to our correspondent, camera and sound crew to find out??
They could do us all a favour and stop making Tv shows altogether their is so much rubbish on the Irish channels . When RTÉ do have a good show it winds up on BBC the following year . The biggest waste of money every year is a Tv licence .
“independent production companies”… you mean like Miriam O’Callaghan’s? RTE and cronyism, jaysus I’m in shock
Snotser signing on now. Peaked when he roared ‘f*ck you, deputy Stagg!’. Or was that somebody else I’m thinking of?
Back when Mary Robinson used to be relevant.
Good they were all crap
Who needs it when minecraft youtube is all they watch.. :)
What are we paying a to licence for
The point being the good kids shows are in the past,they were magic. Now rate should just go as if it wasnt for the sport itd just be fine.Gaels propaganda channel
No young person would want to listen their their dribble. I want radio lyric FM to be piped into prison cessl for 3 hours a day to prevent re- offending. Its all boring
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