The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Brady’s ashes ‘must not end up on moor’
Coroner seeks assurance ashes won’t be scattered where four of murderer’s victims were buried
Ian Brady’s body will not be released until assurances have been given that his ashes will not be scattered on Saddleworth Moor, a coroner has said.
Brady, who tortured and killed five children with lover Myra Hindley, buried four of his victims on the moor.
Opening an inquest at Southport Town Hall into the 79-year-old killer’s death, senior coroner for Sefton Christopher Sumner said he also wants assurances a funeral director and crematorium willing to take Brady’s body have been found.
The Moors Murderer died at Ashworth High Secure Hospital in Maghull, Merseyside, just after 6pm on Monday.
The inquest heard his cause of death was heart failure and lung disease.
Brady’s lawyer Robin Makin, the executor of his will, visited him in the hours before his death to discuss his legal wishes and funeral arrangements.
The Liverpool-based solicitor said: “He was in the last hours of his life so he was pretty weak but we were able to discuss a few things and sort out what he wanted to be done.”
Mr Makin said he did not think Brady had any information which would help the search for the body of 12-year-old Keith Bennett, the only victim of Brady and Myra Hindley whose remains have never been found.
He said: “I don’t think useful information is going to come from him.
“I think that if he had been able to assist in its location it would have happened in the 1980s.”
Solicitor John Ainley, who represented Keith’s mother Winnie Johnson and works closely with Keith’s brother, Alan, said he had written to Brady less than two months ago and appealed to him to “look at his conscience” and agree to a meeting to aid the search on Saddleworth Moor for missing Keith’s body. He received no reply. He said: “It just remains to be seen whether information is passed over to the police after his death from his representatives but we have no information to confirm that as of yet. It seems a bit unlikely but we are not giving up hope.”
Martin Bottomley, head of Greater Manchester Police’s cold case review unit, said the case remained open and officers would act on “credible and actionable” information that would help them find the body of Keith.
He said: “While we are not actively searching Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester Police will never close this case. Brady’s death does not change that.”
Coroner’s officer Alby HowardMurphy said no relatives of Brady’s were known to the court.
The case was adjourned to a preinquest hearing on June 29.