Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Brady’s last evil: Scatter my ashes on Moors
DEATH OF A MONSTER: BATTLE OVER HIS WISHES
TWISTED Ian Brady wanted a gangland-style funeral so he could go out in a blaze of notoriety not seen since the Kray twins died.
And in a final insult to his victims’ families, the child killer demanded his ashes be buried on the moors where he and Myra Hindley dumped their bodies. But the deluded monster will be cremated in secret with a handful of officials in attendance and his remains disposed of near Ashworth security hospital where he died on Monday. It was also revealed police made one last desperate bid to get Brady to tell them on his deathbed where he buried 12-year-old Keith Bennett, the only Moors Murders victim never found. Speaking after opening an inquest at Southport into the killer’s death at the age of 79, coroner Christopher Sumner said: “I wanted to have assurance that when he is cremated his ashes will not be scattered on Saddleworth Moor. I think it would be offensive.” Terry West, 66, whose sister Lesley Ann Downey was killed by Brady and Hindley, 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.” Brady is said to have planned his funeral years ago after he went on hunger strike at Ashworth on Merseyside and demanded to be moved to a prison so he could die. He wrote to some of the hardest gangsters in Manchester and Liverpool asking them to provide muscle at the service as well as a guard of honour. The demand came in a letter to pen pal and former criminal Cody Lachey. A source revealed: “He thought thousands of people will turn up the funeral. That might be true if the public was made aware of the arrangements but he’ll be cremated in secret. “If ghouls knew where his remains were disposed of it could lead to the area become a magnet for sickos.” Detectives visited Brady on Monday after it became clear his death was imminent and begged him to tell them where Keith was buried after his death in 1964 to end his family’s torment. Their lawyer John Ainley said: “The police spoke to me in the course of the evening, and they were trying to have access to his papers. “That’s difficult without consent from his solicitors and a court order. “They were trying, I think, to implore Brady at this very late stage to pass on any information or documents to them so they could carry out a meaningful search of the moors. “The death is a missed opportunity to find Keith. There was always a glimmer of hope that he would disclose vital
Sick killer’s demand for gangland funeral rejected His bid to scatter ashes near victims also snubbed It is the final act of a twisted, evil man to cause his victims’ families the greatest upset TERRY WEST BROTHER OF MURDERED LESLEY ANN DOWNEY