Ian Brady (1938-2017) and Myra Hindley (1942-2002) were a British couple who murdered five children and teenagers aged 10 to 17 between 1963 and 1965 in and around Manchester. Brady, influenced by Nazism and sadism, directed the killings, while Hindley used her trustworthy appearance to lure victims. Several were sexually assaulted, and several bodies were buried on Saddleworth Moor.
Victims
Pauline Reade (16)
John Kilbride (12)
Keith Bennett (12)
Lesley Ann Downey (10)
Edward Evans (17)
Location
Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
Summary
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley murdered five children between 1963-1965, burying their bodies on the moors. Keith Bennett's body has never been found.
Details
Victims were abducted, sexually assaulted, and killed, with bodies buried on Saddleworth Moor. The pair were caught in October 1965 after Hindley's brother-in-law David Smith witnessed the axe murder of Edward Evans and alerted police. At their 1966 trial, jurors heard a chilling tape recording of 10-year-old Lesley Ann Downey pleading for her life. Both received life sentences; Brady was later deemed criminally insane. Hindley died in prison in 2002 and Brady in 2017. They confessed to the Reade and Bennett murders in 1987, but Keith Bennett's body was never found.
Background
Ian Brady was born Ian Duncan Stewart in Glasgow, Scotland, on 2 January 1938, the son of an unmarried mother. Raised partly by foster parents, he had a troubled adolescence marked by petty crime and a fascination with Nazism, Marquis de Sade, and works on cruelty and power. After moving to Manchester, England, he took the surname Brady from his stepfather and found work as a stock clerk.
Myra Hindley was born in Crumpsall, Manchester, on 23 July 1942. She had a conventional working-class upbringing and was regarded as ordinary and reliable before meeting Brady. In 1961 she began working as a typist at Millwards Merchandising, the same chemical-distribution company where Brady was employed. Hindley became infatuated with him, and the two began a relationship. Under Brady's influence she adopted his views and interests, and the pair drew increasingly closer over the following years.
The Crimes
Between July 1963 and October 1965, Brady and Hindley murdered five children and adolescents in the Greater Manchester area. The victims were Pauline Reade, aged 16, who disappeared on 12 July 1963; John Kilbride, aged 12, who vanished on 23 November 1963; Keith Bennett, aged 12, who disappeared on 16 June 1964; Lesley Ann Downey, aged 10, who was abducted on 26 December 1964; and Edward Evans, aged 17, killed on 6 October 1965.
Several of the victims were lured away and sexually assaulted before being killed. The bodies of several were buried on Saddleworth Moor in the Pennines, giving the case its enduring name. The pair photographed and tape-recorded aspects of their crimes; a recording and photographs relating to Lesley Ann Downey were later used as evidence. Keith Bennett's body has never been found, despite extensive searches over many decades.
Investigation and Arrest
The case broke when Brady killed Edward Evans with an axe in October 1965 at the house he shared with Hindley in Hattersley. Brady had attempted to recruit Hindley's brother-in-law, David Smith, into his crimes and made Smith witness the killing. Horrified, Smith contacted the police the following morning, leading officers to the house, where Evans's body was discovered.
Brady and Hindley were arrested, and a search of their possessions uncovered incriminating material, including photographs of Saddleworth Moor and a tape recording of Lesley Ann Downey. A left-luggage ticket led police to a suitcase containing further evidence. The photographs helped investigators locate burial sites on the moor, where the bodies of Lesley Ann Downey and John Kilbride were recovered. At the time of the original investigation, the murders of Pauline Reade and Keith Bennett were not part of the charges.
Trial and Outcome
Brady and Hindley were tried at Chester Assizes in April and May 1966. Brady was convicted of the murders of Edward Evans, Lesley Ann Downey, and John Kilbride. Hindley was convicted of the murders of Edward Evans and Lesley Ann Downey and of being an accessory after the fact in the killing of John Kilbride. Capital punishment for murder had been abolished in Britain shortly before the trial, so both received life sentences.
The case caused national revulsion, partly because of the youth of the victims and the involvement of a woman, which was widely seen as especially shocking at the time. Hindley's police mugshot became one of the most recognised images in British criminal history. In 1985 and 1986, Brady and Hindley confessed to the murders of Pauline Reade and Keith Bennett. Searches resumed on the moor, and Pauline Reade's body was recovered in 1987.
Aftermath and Legacy
Myra Hindley spent the rest of her life in prison, mounting several appeals for parole that were repeatedly rejected amid strong public and political opposition. She died in prison on 15 November 2002, aged 60, after suffering respiratory failure. Ian Brady was eventually moved to a high-security psychiatric hospital, Ashworth Hospital, where he was diagnosed with mental illness. He repeatedly stated that he never wished to be released and at times waged a long campaign to be allowed to die, including hunger strikes. Brady died on 15 May 2017, aged 79.
The Moors Murders remain one of the most notorious cases in British criminal history and have been the subject of extensive books, documentaries, and dramatisations. The failure to recover Keith Bennett's remains has caused enduring anguish for his family; his mother, Winnie Johnson, campaigned for decades to find her son before her death in 2012. Brady was said to have known the location of the grave but never disclosed it. The case has had a lasting influence on public debate in Britain about parole, the treatment of notorious offenders, and the handling of unsolved aspects of historic crimes.
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Frequently asked questions
What was the Moors Murders - Ian Brady & Myra Hindley case?
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley murdered five children between 1963-1965, burying their bodies on the moors. Keith Bennett's body has never been found.
Who was responsible for Moors Murders - Ian Brady & Myra Hindley?
Ian Brady & Myra Hindley. Ian Brady (1938-2017) and Myra Hindley (1942-2002) were a British couple who murdered five children and teenagers aged 10 to 17 between 1963 and 1965 in and around Manchester. Brady, influenced by Nazism and sadism, directed the killings, while Hindley used her trustworthy appearance to lure victims. Several were sexually assaulted, and several bodies were buried on Saddleworth Moor.
Who were the victims of the Moors Murders - Ian Brady & Myra Hindley case?
The named victims were Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, Edward Evans.
Where and when did the Moors Murders - Ian Brady & Myra Hindley case take place?
It took place in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom in 1963.
Was the Moors Murders - Ian Brady & Myra Hindley case solved?
