solved
Other violent crime
May 25, 1968
Perpetrator
Mary Bell
Mary Flora Bell was a 10- and 11-year-old girl from the Scotswood district of Newcastle upon Tyne. She strangled two small boys in 1968 and was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, with psychiatrists testifying she showed symptoms of psychopathy. She was detained for 12 years and released in 1980, later granted lifelong anonymity by court order.
Victims
- Martin Brown (4)
- Brian Howe (3)
Location
Scotswood, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Summary
In 1968, 10- and 11-year-old Mary Bell strangled two young boys in Newcastle upon Tyne and was convicted of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.
Details
On 25 May 1968 four-year-old Martin Brown was found dead in a derelict house in Scotswood, Newcastle. On 31 July 1968 three-year-old Brian Howe was strangled on nearby waste ground, his body marked with cuts including an "M" carved into his abdomen. Mary Bell, aged 11 by the time of trial, was tried at Newcastle Assizes with her friend Norma Bell (no relation). On 17 December 1968 Mary was convicted of manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility; Norma was acquitted. Mary was detained until her release on licence in 1980.
Overview
Mary Flora Bell was an English girl who, in 1968 at the ages of ten and eleven, killed two young boys in the Scotswood area of Newcastle upon Tyne. The victims were four-year-old Martin Brown and three-year-old Brian Howe. Bell carried out the killings around the time of her eleventh birthday, and in some instances she acted alongside her friend Norma Bell (no relation), who was thirteen. The case drew intense national attention because of the extreme youth of both the killer and her victims, and it became one of the most widely discussed British criminal cases of the twentieth century.
At her trial in December 1968, Mary Bell was convicted of the manslaughter of both boys on grounds of diminished responsibility, rather than murder. Norma Bell was acquitted. The verdict, the psychiatric findings, and the questions the case raised about child culpability and the British care and justice systems have been examined repeatedly in the decades since.
The Killings
On 25 May 1968, the day before her eleventh birthday, Mary Bell strangled four-year-old Martin Brown in a derelict house in Scotswood. The death was not initially treated as a homicide; there was no clear evidence at the scene, and authorities considered the possibility of an accident. In the weeks that followed, Bell and Norma Bell were linked to a break-in at a local nursery, where notes were left claiming responsibility for a killing, though these were not at first taken seriously.
On 31 July 1968, three-year-old Brian Howe was found dead on waste ground in the same area. He had been strangled, and his body bore marks, including what investigators described as deliberate mutilation. The injuries and other evidence led police to treat this death as murder and to focus their inquiries on the two girls, who had been observed in the vicinity and whose accounts to investigators contained inconsistencies.
Investigation and Trial
Police interviews exposed contradictions between the accounts given by Mary Bell and Norma Bell, and details emerged connecting them to the deaths. Both girls were charged. The trial took place at Newcastle Assizes in December 1968 and attracted extensive press coverage in Britain.
Psychiatric evidence presented at trial described Mary Bell as showing traits consistent with a personality disorder and a lack of normal emotional response. On the basis of this evidence, the jury convicted her of manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility for both boys, rejecting the murder charges. Norma Bell was acquitted on all counts. The trial judge described Mary Bell as dangerous, and she was ordered to be detained.
Sentence and Detention
Mary Bell was sentenced to detention at Her Majesty's pleasure, an indeterminate form of custody used for serious offences committed by children. Because no suitable secure facility for a girl of her age existed at the time, she was initially held in a unit that primarily housed boys, a placement that was later criticised.
She spent roughly twelve years in detention. During this period she was held in various institutions, and there was a widely reported incident in 1977 in which she briefly absconded before being returned to custody. Mary Bell was released in 1980, having reached adulthood while still under supervision arrangements.
Later Life and Anonymity
After her release, Mary Bell was given a new identity to allow her to live anonymously, and reporting restrictions were put in place to protect her. She later had a daughter, and legal measures were extended to protect the identity of her child and, subsequently, her grandchild. These anonymity orders have been the subject of public debate about the balance between rehabilitation, privacy, and the public interest.
In 1998, the journalist and writer Gitta Sereny published 'Cries Unheard: The Story of Mary Bell,' based on extensive interviews with Bell. The book examined her chaotic and abusive early childhood and sought to understand the background to the killings. It caused significant controversy, particularly because Bell was reported to have been paid for her cooperation, prompting criticism from some quarters, including the families of the victims.
Legacy and Significance
The Mary Bell case remains a reference point in discussions of children who kill, criminal responsibility, and the treatment of child offenders in the United Kingdom. It is frequently cited alongside later cases, such as the 1993 killing of James Bulger, in debates over the age of criminal responsibility and how young offenders should be handled by the courts and care systems.
The case also raised lasting questions about childhood trauma, the limits of psychiatric assessment, and the rights of offenders to rehabilitation and a private life after serving a sentence. Coverage of the case has generally emphasised both the gravity of the crimes and the difficult circumstances of Bell's upbringing, while remaining mindful of the lasting grief of the families of Martin Brown and Brian Howe.
