New hope for Keith’s family as Patel law is passed
THE GRAVE of Moors Murders victim Keith Bennett could finally be found after a new law was passed which allows detectives to delve into Ian Brady’s final secrets.
Home Secretary Priti Patel’s new policing legislation was given Royal Assent this week. It means police can obtain a warrant for material that could reveal the location of a murder victim’s remains.
Officers can now apply to seize two briefcases belonging to killer Brady.
Until now police have been refused permission to examine the cases.
Investigators hope the contents will throw up clues or even “maps” showing where the young boy was buried.
Keith Bennett was one of five children killed by Brady and his evil partner Myra Hindley in the early 1960s, but the 12-year-old’s body has never been recovered.
John Ainley, Keith Bennett’s family solicitor, said the new bill was a “hopeful development” and he would be “pressing the police to deal expeditiously with their search” for the cases and documents.
Ainley said the whereabouts of the two Samsonite briefcases was unclear because Brady’s will was never made public. “They may be with his solicitors, or the executors of the estate, or the beneficiaries,” he said.
“It may take some months for the police to lodge an application to obtain the evidence.”
Brady’s lawyer took possession of the suitcases from the killer hours before his death, aged 79, in 2017. Brady had been serving a life sentence in Ashworth Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility. He had refused all along to give any clues as to where Bennett was buried.
A new documentary has revealed that police in Manchester’s Moors Murders Cold Case Unit believe the suitcases may contain “maps” and documents revealing the location of Bennett’s body.
Martin Bottomley from the unit told crime writer Mark Billingham: “[The new law] will allow us to apply to a judge that we have reasonable suspicion there are documents that may identify the location of human remains – in this case, Keith Bennett.”
He added: “It will be Keith Bennett’s legacy, so that it doesn’t happen to anyone
‘There will be documents...’
else again.” Asked what he thought was in there, he replied: “I think there will be a lot of ramblings, but there will be maps, documents… there could be something that leads us to a closer location.
“I’m not saying it’s going to be ‘X Marks the spot for Keith’s body’.
“It’s not a given by any means, but it’s a possibility.we need to do it.”
Asked about the hope that “maps” may be in the cases, Mr Ainley said: “Any information would help.
“Here’s hope that there’s either maps or other written information that would point us in the right direction towards Keith’s
body.” The family “are coping with it” but are looking at “every avenue,” he added.
“Alan Bennett [Keith’s brother] will never rest until he has found Keith, and hopefully that will be during his lifetime.”
Keith was murdered after Myra Hindley lured the 12-year-old into her Mini.
She and Brady drove up to Saddleworth Moor, near Manchester, with Bennett who was sexually assaulted, then strangled by Brady with a piece of string.
Despite many searches on the Moor, his body has never been found. Official police searches ended in 2009.
John Hunter, a forensic archaeologist, led the searches for Keith’s body.
He has used both radar and depth profiling without success.
Hunter told Billingham: “Is he still there? Yes. Is there a good chance of him being found? Probably, no.”
He explained this is because Bennett was likely buried in a “peat scar” and “over time the peat moves” to conceal it.
Keith Bennett’s mother,winnie Johnson, died aged 78 in 2012, after a long campaign to try to force Brady to reveal where Keith was buried.
Alan, 64, has continued with the family campaign. He said recently: “Fingers crossed that the bill will be passed as soon as possible and we may get some more answers.”
Once Upon a True Crime is available to stream on C+I PLAY from Tuesday and on Monday at 9pm on Crime + Investigation