Killer’s moors request ‘a sick, final twist’

A British coroner says he won’t release the body of serial killer Ian Brady until there’s a guarantee his ashes won’t be scattered on the moor where Brady buried his victims.

Brady, who killed five children in the 1960s “Moors Murders”, died on Tuesday at a high-security psychiatric hospital, aged 79.

He and girlfriend Myra Hindley buried their victims’ bodies on Saddleworth Moor, near Manchester in northwestern England.

Coroner Christopher Sumner said yesterday that “it would be offensive” if the killer’s ashes were also scattered on the moor.

He said “emotions are high, they are bound to be”.

Brady is believed to have request in his will that his ashes be spread on the moor.

Terry West, 66, whose sister Lesley Ann Downey was murdered by Brady, said: “It is the final act of a twisted, evil man.

“For the coroner to order this ban must mean Brady stipulated his ashes should be scattered on Saddleworth Moor.

“It is a sick, final twist to cause his victims’ families the greatest upset from beyond the grave.”

The murders are among the most notorious in British history.

The body of one victim, 12-year-old Keith Bennett, has never been found, despite pleas from his family for Brady to reveal the location.