Moors murders

The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around what is now Greater Manchester, England.

Victims
The victims were five children aged between 10 and 17. They were Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans. At least four of them were sexually assaulted. The murders have this name because two of the victims were discovered in graves dug on Saddleworth Moor; a third grave was discovered on the moor in 1987, more than 20 years after Brady and Hindley's trial in 1966. 

The body of a fourth victim, Keith Bennett, is probably buried there as well, but despite repeated searches it hasn't been found.

Police investigation
The police were initially aware of only three killings, those of Edward Evans, Lesley Ann Downey and John Kilbride. The investigation was reopened in 1985, after Brady was reported in the press as having confessed to the murders of Pauline Reade and Keith Bennett. Brady and Hindley were taken separately to Saddleworth Moor to assist the police in their search for the graves, both by then having confessed to the additional murders.

Trial
The trial was held over 14 days beginning on 19 April 1966, in front of Mr Justice Fenton Atkinson.

Brady and Hindley pleaded not guilty to the charges against them; both were called to give evidence, Brady for over eight hours and Hindley for six.

On 6 May, after having deliberated for a little over two hours,  the jury found Brady guilty of all three murders and Hindley guilty of the murders of Downey and Evans. As the death penalty for murder had been abolished while Brady and Hindley were held on remand, the judge passed the only sentence that the law allowed: life imprisonment. Brady was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences and Hindley was given two

Imprisonment
Brady was taken to Durham Prison and Hindley was sent to Holloway Prison.

Later lives
Hindley died of bronchopneumonia caused by heart disease on 15 November 2002 at the age of 60. Brady died on 15 May 2017 from complications from Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the age of 79.

More reading

References

Other websites
 The official Keith Bennett website

Brady, Ian
Hindley, Myra
Brady, Ian
Hindley, Myra
Hindley, Myra
Brady, Ian
Category:Crime in the United Kingdom
Category:Murder in the 1960s
Category:English serial killers
Category:1963 in the United Kingdom
Category:1964 in the United Kingdom
Category:1965 in England
Category:1966 in the United Kingdom
Category:People from Tameside