Casefile True Crime - Case 49: The Moors Murders (Part 1)

Episode Date: March 18, 2017

[Part 1 of 3] In 1963, two youths disappeared during separate incidents in and around the northern English city of Manchester. First, 16-year-old Pauline Reade vanished while on her way to a dance. Then, four months later, 12-year-old John Kilbride disappeared from a market in Ashton-under-Lyne. ---  Researched and written by Victoria Dieffenbacher For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-49-moors-murders-part-1

This story involves crimes against children. At times when putting this one together, I just had to get up and walk away. That's a horrible story. So please keep that in mind before continuing. The Moors in England have been a matter of interest and discussion ever since their immortalisation in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, where they were described as never-ending, wild, and even maddening. In Thomas Hardy's Tests of the Derbavills, he chose the English Moors as a metaphor for

fear, ignorance, and savagery. The Sutterworth Moor is an area covering 400 square miles in the peak district of northwest England, more widely known as Greater Manchester. The Sutterworth Moor is a rich mixture of sweeping valleys, hills, and plateaus, falling away to fast-flowing streams. Rocky formations jut out of the blanketed, dense, peak grass that covers the area. The soil is poor, and so only the hardiest of vegetation survives. Steaning at 1,312 feet above sea level, thick morning fog appears like cloud, barely lifting

from the ground. The eerie stillness and silence is deafening. Its immensity is both daunting as well as fascinating. However, in the 1960s, the Moors came to the world's attention in a very different, frightening light. They became the scene for some of the most notorious and sadistic crimes committed in Britain. The infamous Moors murders.

Myra Hindley was born on the 23rd of July, 1942. Her mother, Nellie, was 22 years old at the time. Her father, Bob, wasn't home for the birth. He was fighting in the Second World War. After Myra's birth, Nellie moved in with her mother, Ellen. Ellen lived in Gorton, an area of the city of Manchester, in northwest England. Ellen became affectionately known as Gran to Myra. Nellie and Myra lived with Gran until the war ended in 1945, and Bob Hindley returned

home. Bob and Nellie moved into a house in the same street as Gran. After returning from the war, Bob lost his job and suffered a limp after participating in street fights for money. From that moment on, Bob spent most of his time in pubs, and when he returned home drunk, he'd often hit Nellie. Myra would come to despise her father for this. On the 21st of August, 1946, a new baby was born into the family, Myra's sister, Maureen

Hindley. Not long after Maureen's birth, Gran suggested Myra move in with her. Bob was against the move, but ended up agreeing on the condition that Myra would still return home for meals. The two houses were inside of each other. Myra was genuinely happy with the change, since there was no violence at Gran's house. Plus, her grandmother spoiled her whenever she had the chance. Myra later stated, any good in me comes from my Gran.

In 1947, at the age of five, Myra started school. Gran walked her to Peacock Street Primary, three minutes away from their council home in Gorton, until she was seven. Myra was then allowed to walk to and from school on her own. As a young girl, others perceived Myra as bossy. In one schoolyard incident, a boy scratched his nails on Myra's face. This resulted in Myra approaching her father, Bob, and asking him to teach her how to fight. Bob gave her some pointers, and then sent Myra to look for the boy that scratched her.

Myra found him, whacked him, and left him crying. When she told her father, he responded by ruffling her hair and telling her he was proud of her. From that moment on, Myra vowed to defend not only herself in the streets of Gorton, but other children who needed protection as well. As she grew up, she developed a love for reading. Her favourite book was The Secret Garden by Francis Burnett. Her favourite school subject was English, where she got to write and read poetry. She penned three essays that got read aloud in class, and one of them was bound and placed at the school's library.

The Hindleys were seen as a respectable family in Gorton. As a teenager, Myra and a friend babysat children in the neighbourhood. The two girls bought chocolate for the children, and even took them to the movies. When Myra was 15, a close friend of hers, Michael, drowned in an unused reservoir. He was 13. They had become close after Michael got bullied and Myra stood up for him. She wasn't there when the accident happened, and she always believed that if she had been there, she would have been able to save him. That same year, Myra left school and began working.

She started off in a temp position with a catalogue company in Manchester's centre, where she only lasted two weeks. After that, she got a job at Lawrence Scott Manufacturing. Myra did light typing, ran errands, and prepared tea for the other staff. In the beginning, she developed a good relationship with the other workers. But after she received her first week's pay, she lost it and went to work looking sullen. Feeling sorry for her, the other employees all chipped in some money and even gave her a little more than she lost to make her feel better. They were far from impressed when Myra walked into work not long after, saying she had lost her pay again. Many turned against her.

One of the women who remained close to Myra at work invited her to a flat and changed her hair colour. She bleached it. Myra loved it, and from that moment on, she chose to stay blonde. In the summer of 1958, at the age of 16, Myra committed to the Catholic Church and received her first prayer book from her auntie. Myra started dating boys but maintained her religious beliefs and was against sex before marriage. By the end of 1958, she had her first steady boyfriend and started doing all of the housework herself as practice for running her own home. At the start of 1959, Lawrence Scott had financial difficulties and as a result, Myra was made redundant. She was only unemployed for a short time.

She started work after at Clisdale's furniture shop in Gorton as a junior typist. But the wages were poor. Myra's grandmother from her father's side worked at the Bellevue Amusement Park, and she was able to get Myra work there in the catering department. In February 1960, Myra left that job for another typist job. However, she hated that and almost immediately started looking for other work. On her 18th birthday, her boyfriend Ronnie proposed. Myra was excited and happily showed off her engagement ring to family and friends. Her mother, Nelly, wasn't thrilled though.

She didn't want Myra to marry her first boyfriend. She wanted her to enjoy the years of her youth. It wasn't long before Myra started to have doubts too. Firstly, she looked at her mother and thought of her as a downtrodden wife with a boring domestic role. She later stated, I wanted my mother to stand up for herself, but she was weak and allowed a daddy to bully her. I hated that. Secondly, Myra started criticising Ronnie.

Her description of him was, quote, Boring and mundane. He cared a lot about me, which mattered, but he didn't like dancing and we spent most of our time at stock races, which was his hobby. Apart from that, Myra couldn't get past the permanent grease underneath his fingernails, as it reminded her of the working class and especially of her father. Thirdly, Myra looked at the people around her and said, quote, When I began to witness many of my friends and neighbours, some of whom had to get married, having baby after baby, almost tied to the kitchen sink and struggling to make ends meet while their husbands went out every night,

drinking and betting away their wages, just as my father had done, I began to feel uncomfortable and restless. In the end, Myra decided very few men could be trusted and that the women she knew had been trapped into family life with no money and no freedom. Myra started thinking about leaving and working abroad, either as a nanny or entertaining in holiday camps, but she couldn't go through with it. She loved her family and believed that if she shared her thoughts, they'd think she was getting above herself, so she decided to stay put and not share with anyone what she was really thinking. She considered her sister Maureen to be her best friend. Maureen copied Myra's style of dress.

The two of them were extremely close. It was in December 1960 that Myra's life would change forever. A friend of hers pointed out an advert for a job at Millwood's merchandise company. Myra applied and secured an interview. Millwood's was in a large detached house. They supplied chemicals, mostly to the cotton industry. When Myra arrived, the head of the firm greeted her and set her up in a small room where she was given a typing test and then an interview. After which, Myra was offered a job.

Since it was still early afternoon, she was invited to meet the rest of the staff members, including her new boss, Tom. Tom shared an office with two other men. One was an older clerk who kindly introduced himself to Myra. The second was a stock clerk, Ian Brady. Ian Brady was born on the 2nd of January 1938 in Glasgow, Scotland. His birth name was Ian Duncan Stewart. His mother was Maggie Stewart, 28 years old. Maggie never revealed much about Ian's father other than stating he was a journalist who died three months before Ian's birth.

Ian didn't hear anything further about his father, not his name or where he was from. The only detail he found out later was that he might not have died and could have moved to Australia. Before Ian's birth, Maggie had been living with a friend. After his birth, she found her own room to rent and wanted to return to her old job of waitressing, but she couldn't find anyone to take care of Ian. Despite her struggles, Maggie initially refused to give Ian up for adoption, but after four months, Mary felt there was no other option and decided to find a foster family. She came across Mary Sloane, a 34-year-old cotton mill worker who offered her home to Ian. She was married to John Sloane and they had four children of their own already. They lived in a two-bedroom flat with shared washing facilities and an outside toilet.

The Sloanes were poor, but were regarded by those who knew them as a warm and respectable family. Ian loved them and called Mary his ma, John his pa and to their children, his brothers and sisters. Maggie still visited Ian every Sunday. She introduced herself to him as Peggy, but it didn't take Ian long to figure out that she was his birth mother. Maggie always bought him gifts and clothes, spoiling him whenever she could. In the middle of the Second World War, 1941, Ian was three and a Clydebank where he lived became one of the most attacked areas in the UK. But according to Ian, he wasn't scared. Far from it, he says, he remembers the event fondly, stating he found the sound of exploding missiles thrilling.

At the age of five, Ian started at Camden Street Primary, a few blocks from his flat. He did well academically, especially in English, where he won an award and got praised for his meticulous style of writing. Socially, his recollections vary. Ian once described those school years as, quote, the best period of my life. I was not the stereotypical loner. Friends formed round me eagerly in the school playground. Apparently, I had a descriptive talent and contagious enthusiasm. But he has also said, quote, the child's games in the playground seemed futile to me and I stood alone at the edge of the crowds, never fitting in.

One memory that didn't vary, though, was when his Sunday school teacher asked all the children in the class if they believed in God. And Ian nervously said for the first time, no. A close childhood friend who lived in the flat below the Sloan's remembered Ian as someone who always carried a flick knife and someone who could be very violent. He recalls one particular incident. He once tied me to a steel washing post, heaped newspapers around my legs and set fire to them. I can still remember feeling dizzy with the smoke before I blacked out. He added that all of the kids he hung around were rough back then, but Ian was by far the worst. Ian acquired a love for animals while living with the Sloans.

He started off being cruel towards them until one day he came across a fallen horse in the street. It had a broken leg and Ian couldn't stop looking at the suffering in the animals' eyes. He ended up so distressed at the sight that he ran home crying the entire way. After that, the Sloans bought a dog and Ian couldn't have loved it anymore. It was at this point in time that Ian started preferring animals to people. In 1947, when Ian was nine years old, the entire Sloan family went for a picnic to lock a moment. Ian saw for the first time what an open, vast scenery looked like. Quote,

Confronting a sea, a moor, or standing on a mountain, you can almost hear the unknown invisible presences. You know they are there, almost within touch, speaking an archaic language, and you feel the power rise up within as you become a receiver. You feel a surge of ultimate energy and power that makes you laugh with pure delight, or cry with gratitude. When the Sloans had packed everything up and were ready to head back home, they found Ian standing on one of the hills, staring off in the distance, captivated. That same year, there was a slum clearance program in Clydebank. Families were examined before being allocated new homes.

The Sloans were resettled in a three-bedroom, semi-detached house with a garden and indoor bathroom in what was considered a selector state in Pollock. They had woods nearby, as well as the river cart. Ian couldn't have been happier with the move and loved working in the garden. The one downside was that his mother's visits became less frequent since she had been dating an ex-army soldier, Patrick Brady. Maggie started by skipping Sunday visits, and then, when Patrick had to move to Manchester for work, she went with him and didn't see Ian any more at all. She kept in contact solely through letters.

At the age of 12, Ian started at Shorelands Academy, a secondary school where students were mostly from wealthy families, but authorities had just made a new wing to add children from the working class. Ian came under notice almost immediately for reading many books about the Nazis. He talked about the Nazi Party constantly, and when he played war games with the other children, he insisted on being a German and giving the Nazi salute. He also started collecting Nazi memorabilia and told the other boys who had brothers in the army to bring him back anything they could from Germany. In 1950, Maggie married Patrick Brady.

Her and Ian had fallen out of contact almost completely at this point, and he didn't attend her wedding in Manchester, choosing instead to go on holidays with the Sloans. Upon returning to Glasgow after holidays, Ian did his first break-in. He claimed he didn't take anything and only looked around the house. But soon after his first break-in, he joined a gang and continued to break into houses, taking money and whatever else he could find. In May 1951, Ian ended up in juvenile court. They placed him on probation for two years.

He was 13. A little over a year later, Ian was back in juvenile court on a new house-breaking charge. He was given more probation time. When he was 15, he left school and worked as a Butcher's assistant before moving on to the British Railway as an engine cleaner, later becoming an apprentice plater. But he didn't last there and continued jumping from job to job because none of them engaged him on an intellectual level.

Yet, he liked working, as in his words, it allowed him to accumulate working capital. Ian had a girlfriend when he was 15, but the relationship came to an end when he saw her dancing with another boy. He pulled out his flick knife and threatened her with it. When he was 16, he was back before the court, charged with house-breaking and theft. The Sloan's believed that he'd be sent to prison this time, but Ian's probation officer offered another solution, deporting him. The following month, December 1954,

Ian travelled by train to Manchester and his birth mother Maggie, who Ian hadn't seen in six years, was waiting for him at Victoria Station. Ian immediately took his stepfather's last name, officially becoming Ian Brady. The three of them, Maggie, Patrick and Ian, lived in Mosside. Ian developed a good relationship with Patrick. They both shared a love for racing and betting, sitting together to listen to the radio to see if they'd won anything. A neighbour in Mosside described Ian as mostly shy and polite.

He appeared kind and respectful towards his mother, but he was heard to make racist remarks about black residents living in the neighbourhood. He also seemed to carry around more money than he should. Despite developing a relationship with his stepfather, Ian missed Scotland dearly and would often return to visit the Sloan's. On the 9th of November, 1955, a year after being deported from Scotland, Ian was charged with stealing 44 pounds of lead seals from banana boxes. He was working as an errand boy at a fruit market at the time,

and the driver asked Ian to help him stock all of the lead into his truck. Ian helped him, and the driver sold the lead to a scucked dealer. But the dealer called the police, and when questioned, the truck driver implicated Ian. At Manchester Crown Court, Ian pleaded guilty, believing he'd only be given a fine. He was actually sentenced to two years at a bore stall, which were reformatory centres run by the prison service for offenders under the age of 23. They have since been described as a breeding ground for bullies and psychopaths. At this point, Ian found it difficult to connect emotionally with anybody.

He started seeing others only as people he could manipulate to his own benefit. He only became friends with inmates that he thought would be useful to him on the outside, to help commit crimes. On the 10th of January, 1956, Ian was transferred to Hatfield Ballstool, a former Army training camp for boys of better-than-average intelligence, with a relatively light criminal record. It was located 112 kilometres from Manchester. Ian was given a psychiatric examination and was deemed unfit for national service.

Ian used his time running a bedding syndicate and selling alcohol. After getting drunk and attacking a warden, he was expelled and transferred to a harsher bore stall located within Hull Prison, even further away from Manchester. Ian spent two years at Hull. He was given training in bookkeeping after the authorities discovered he had a talent with numbers. While he wasn't bookkeeping, Ian was making plans to rob banks when he got out. He continued making contacts with inmates he thought would be useful in helping him to carry out his criminal plans on the outside.

He stated, Gradually, I began to adopt a more studious professional attitude towards crime. My instinctive form of relativism developed into a pragmatic philosophy. I began to choose my followers. On the 14th of November, 1957, at the age of 19, Ian was released. He went back to Maggie's house in Manchester. Maggie had been trying hard to convince the neighbours Ian had simply fallen in with the wrong crowd. After his release, Ian still acted shy and quiet,

and the girls in the neighbourhood started seeing him as someone attractive, dark and mysterious. Ian bounced around several different jobs and moved house several times with Maggie and Patrick. They eventually settled at 18 Westmoreland Road, Longside, an inner city area of Manchester. Ian visited Longside Library regularly and started reading different books that would stick with him for years to come. One of them was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which tells the story of Raskolnikov, who rationalises murder and suggests that a man has the right to decide whether to kill or not. Another favourite of Ian's was the work of Marky Desard, whose books considered murder a pleasure to experience. Ian advanced on to Nietzsche, among many others, and finished with a strong conclusion.

Quote, A killer is attracted and stimulated by the excitement of challenging the norm, of stepping into forbidden territory like a solitary explorer, consciously thirsting to experience that which the majority have not and dare not. Ian started work as a stock clerk at Millwoods Merchandising Company in February 1959. He was seen as neat, punctual and usually polite, although he was known to throw a tantrum if he lost a board game during the lunch break. Most of the time though he kept quiet, usually ate egg and cheese sandwiches for lunch and sat on his own while reading books such as Teach Yourself

German or Hitler's Mein Kampf. Although he had made big plans to commit crimes while at the Bostel and even made connections with people he thought could help, he didn't take any steps to make those plans a reality once he got out. Then he met Myra Hindley. When Myra Hindley first saw Ray and Brady, she felt rooted to the spot. Quote, I can only describe my reaction as an immediate and fatal attraction, although I had no inkling then of just how fatal it would turn out to be. He gave no indication that he noticed me, appearing to be the strong, silent type. I was determined I would make him notice me. A few of the physical details that caught her attention were his dark hair, deep blue eyes,

fresh complexion and his well manicured fingernails, which she felt were in stark contrast to her boyfriend Ronnie's who always had grease under his nails. The day after her job interview at Millwoods, Hindley went out with friends and gushed to them about Brady. She compared him to the Ultraman idols back then, Elvis and James Dean. The first step Hindley took to get Brady to notice her was to put extra care into her appearance. She started working at Millwoods on the 16th of January 1961 and from that first day she showed up early looking her best. She didn't share an office with Brady but she saw him regularly at lunch breaks. Brady seemed too busy playing board games or reading the racing guides to notice her. Hindley didn't see what others saw. She never

saw Brady throwing tantrums when losing games. She thought he always seemed calm and collected. She did hear him shouting on the phone if he lost other races but that seemed understandable. She also heard him talking to other colleagues about the books he read. But as much as Hindley noticed him, Brady didn't seem to notice her at all. Hindley's next step was to break off her engagement to her boyfriend Ronny. She explained to a friend he was too childish and they weren't even saving money for the marriage. Ronny couldn't believe the news and rang Millwoods constantly trying to convince Hindley to get back with him. Hindley's boss, Tom, ended up having to warn Ronny to stop calling or he'd send the police. For a period of almost an entire year, Brady

didn't notice Hindley the way she wanted. Hindley said, It was a year of emotional torture which I'd never experienced before. I went from loving him to hating him and loving and hating him at the same time. When he smiled at me or was nice to me, I felt blessed and floated on air. Ian was older and seemed wiser than me, so cultured, so exciting and different from others. Hindley found some similarities between Brady and her father, Bob, stating that they both had strong dominant personalities and that since her father ignored her, she wasn't going to let that happen again with Brady. Six months after starting work at Millwoods, Hindley began in keeping a diary. She kept it locked in her desk drawer. In the diary, Hindley kept a close record of Brady,

if he spoke to her, what he said, or if he ignored her, how that made her feel. She filled it with information about Brady and even concluded that he might not be interested in women at all. One day, she eavesdropped on a conversation Brady was having with a boogie and she found out his address. Hindley walked to Brady's street and passed his house, hoping to cross paths with him, but she didn't. She even hung out at a pub on the corner of his street, hoping he would go drinking there, but she never saw him. After this, Hindley wrote new entries in her diary. She would write she was over Brady. The next day, she would write she was into him again, and back and forth at Wynn, before writing, I hope he loves me and will marry me someday.

In December 1961, Hindley took her final step to try and get Brady to notice her. She visited Gorton's library and borrowed the collected works of William Wordsworth. The next day, during the lunch break at Millwoods, she started reading the book near Brady, who was playing chess. After a while, he walked over to ask her if the book was any good. Hindley said it was marvelous. Brady grabbed the book, flicked through the pages, and said he might borrow it himself. A few days later, Hindley walked into Millwoods with another book, Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake. Brady knew the book well, as he was an avid reader of Blake. This got the conversation flowing. Millwood's Christmas party was held soon after this. Hindley sat with some

colleagues, but kept staring at Brady, who was drinking heavily. Hindley sipped her rum and coke while watching the rest of the staff pair up on the dance floor. Suddenly, Brady appeared by her side and asked if she would like to dance. Hindley said of course she would. Brady kept stepping on her feet and moved awkwardly. After the party, Brady walked Hindley home. He asked her if she'd like to meet with him later that evening. She enthusiastically agreed. When Hindley got home, she reapplied her makeup, lacquered her hair, and then ran to the bus stop Brady had set as a meeting point. They spent the entire evening traveling by bus, going from pub to pub, getting drunk. They walked home since they missed the last bus to Gorton, and when they reached Hindley's house,

Brady asked if he could come in. Hindley said no, as her grandmothers still be up. Brady kissed her and said goodnight. When they got back to work, Brady at first acted as if nothing had happened. But when he caught Hindley alone, he asked if she would like to go to the movies. Hindley agreed and described the date in her diary. It was the 22nd of December, 1961, and they saw King of Kings, which was narrated by Orson Welles, who Ian said was his favourite actor. Afterwards, they visited a pub and Ian started talking about his despise for religion. Although Hindley was still a Catholic, she didn't argue, and in fact stated that Brady convinced her all her beliefs were wrong, especially when Brady asked that if God existed,

then why did he let Hindley's friend Michael die when she was 15? She couldn't answer that question. They went back to Hindley's house where she lost her virginity to Brady. Hindley described it as an act of semi-violence provoked by her, who first kissed Brady in an abrupt and demanding way. They spent Christmas Eve together, and Hindley wanted to go to Mass. Brady flat out refused to enter a Roman Catholic church, but agreed to go to St. James Anglican Church in Gorton. There was a graveyard next to the church, and after Mass, they walked through it. Brady suddenly took a piss at the edge of the graves, sculled from a bottle of whiskey he had under his coat, and declared, That's what I think of Christianity. When Brady

met Hindley's parents, Bob liked him, but Nelly didn't. She thought he was too much like Bob. Back at Millwards, the older clerk retired, and Brady got promoted to his position, so now Hindley worked for Brady, and they moved into the same office. Brady bought himself a motorbike, and would stop at Hindley's house occasionally, whenever he felt like it. Hindley stopped going out with her friends so she could be at home, just in case Brady visited. Little by little, Brady revealed more of himself to Hindley, until he eventually disclosed his entire past to her. Brady wasn't affectionate to Hindley in public. If they had a fight, Brady would apologise with a gift which they called anniversary presents.

He called Hindley either kiddo, or hess, after Hitler's appointed deputy furor, Rudolph hess. Hindley called Brady netty after one of the Goon Show characters, which was one of Brady's favourite shows. They went to the movies often, they loved spy dramas like 007. Afterwards, they'd return to Hindley's and share a bottle of wine. Every night, Brady would say goodnight and leave Hindley's house, only to sneak in a while later. He did it to keep the neighbours from knowing they spent the night together, but they weren't fooling too many people. Brady introduced his love for the Nazi party to Hindley. First he called her hess. Then he bought her German records, taught her German words, and that they would continuously listen to Hitler's Inferno, a compilation of music,

marching songs and speeches from the Nuremberg rallies. They hated most people. Immigrants were referred to as sponges and filth, while everyone else was referred to as maggots and morons. But what they did love and respect were animals. They had Brady's dog Bruce and grand's dog Lassie, who they loved dearly. They'd go as far as getting the Manchester Evening News, looking for anyone convicted of animal cruelty, and if they found someone, they would either damage their property or attack them physically. Brady was extremely meticulous about his suits, usually having them tailor made. He had a classical and formal style of dress. After meeting Brady, Hindley started changing her style of dress too. She went for a more provocative look. She stopped wearing flat

shoes and instead chose to let those or knee-length boots, along with short skirts or tight trousers and a leather jacket. These choices weren't accidental. Hindley was trying to emulate Irma Grazer, a German SS guard who was executed at the end of the Second World War, and who Brady had a strong infatuation for. Along with dressing in her style, Hindley also carried a photograph of Grazer in her handbag. Hindley would take care of organising everything when they went out. If they travelled by bus, she got the tickets. If they went to a pub, she got the drinks. If they wanted cigarettes, she got them. If they went to the bookies, Hindley would place the bet. Brady would pay, but he wanted Hindley to get everything for him.

In Gorton, they were known for never acknowledging or speaking to anyone else while they were together. At Millwoods, their boss didn't like them when they were together. He described them as a surly and unsociable couple. Brady's explanation of a traditional relationship was as follows. Most people would marry, breed, further burden themselves by mortgage, own a family car and live in excruciating moderation and boredom till death do them part. And he didn't want any of that. Hindley agreed with him. Even though she wrote in her diary that she hoped to marry Brady before dating him, she now went back to her initial idea of not wanting marriage or babies or a stable relationship or stable, boring life. She said her and Brady had a good understanding

of one another and were of similar intellectual level as they were both cultured, listened to classical music and read classical literature. To her, more than anything, what they shared was dissatisfaction with belonging to the working class and being trapped in it. One thing that maintained predominant in their relationship was books. They would often visit libraries and borrow books, almost always under Hindley's name. Along with the classical literature they enjoyed, they also borrowed books about murder and erotica to later roleplay scenes in their sex life. Hindley stated, Ian took the lead most times. He enjoyed rough sex and light spankings became wippings. He

excited me in a way that no other man had done before. I needed to drink to perform for him or to do the things Ian wanted to do. He liked me to dress up like a tar, for us to both wear hoods. He enjoyed anal sex the most. He also enjoyed having a candle inserted up his backside. They gave us both pleasure, especially me, because then I was in the dominant role. She said the pornography they used didn't always arouse her, but she went along with it for Brady's sake. The author who remained firmly as their favourite was French writer Marquis de Sade, whose books, apart from seeing murder as pleasure, also deal with bestiality, incest,

necrophilia and rape. And in numerous passages, these crimes are committed against children. His books were banned in France until the late 1950s. Other governments from around the world have also banned his books. Brady had a growing interest to rape and kill a child, and what started as discussions in bed with Hindley evolved to the forming of a plan. One final element that became like a third person in their relationship were the Moors. They visited the Moors every time they could, mostly on weekends, and in 1963, while they were lying on a blanket on the ground, the Moors became the background for their plans, committing a classic bank robbery

and committing the perfect murder of a child, or what Brady called switching on the dark. Hindley stated, quote, I found it exciting to swim against the tide, to do things that others would never dream of. I just don't know how much, but I've always wanted something different, more exciting. I've never been satisfied with any situation for long. However, what excited her was not killing people initially, but criminal activities, such as the perfect bank robbery, its planning and execution. The perfect bank robbery never got any further than Brady telling Hindley he would get in touch

with one of the inmates he met in the boar stall. Brady requested Hindley read Compulsion by Maya Levin to use as a blueprint for murder. The novel fictionalizes the murder of a 14-year-old boy by two wealthy students. The students believed in Nietzsche's U-Ubermench theory, where they were above other humans, they were superhuman, intellectually superior, and for that reason were entitled to do as they wished, and killed the young boy in what they thought would be the perfect crime. The novel was based on an actual case which took place in 1924. The case caught the attention of Brady because the two killers seemed to meet and fit each other's needs, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Brady believed this was exactly

how Hindley and him were, except they wouldn't make any mistakes. They wouldn't get caught. After Hindley read the book, she borrowed a black van from a neighbor who knew Hindley as a babysitter. With Brady sitting in the passenger seat, they drove through Manchester, watching children. They stopped at Hindley's old school, and Brady hid while taking pictures of schoolboys. They also drove through the streets of Gorton, and while they were stalking several kids, Hindley tried to think of what she could say to lure a child into the van. Hindley stated, quote, I was considered to be good with children, an excellent babysitter, and able to put children at ease. Could I therefore be considered capable of child abduction, or violence towards children?

One part of their plan that was in no doubt was that they would bury the child at the moors. They even visited the moors to rehearse. Hindley said, quote, We used to climb up to and over the big rocks where he would tell me he was going to practice carrying a body, tell me to make myself as limp as possible. Then he'd hoist me up and over his shoulder, with my arms and head banging over one side and my lower body and legs over the other side. The blood used to rush to my head until I thought I was going to faint. Sometimes he would stumble over a small rock or large tuft of grass, and would both fall. Now a Brady quote, Before I met Mara, it was all inside me, and the feeling of unreality kept me down. I feared it. The energy was kept in. When I met her, she made

me feel confident. She believed in me and looked up to me so much that I lost all fear, and the energy projected outwards, and I lost control. Back to a Hindley quote, One important aspect of our relationship was that we shared equally the ability to shut down our feelings and our emotions. They even talked of controlling the subconscious urges or presenting a cold exterior. This ability, plus the use of alcohol, influenced our sexual experience and would eventually influence everything in our lives. We had to be able to blend into our surroundings like chameleons, to exist on two different places, convincing others that we were normal, not capable of committing crimes. He taught me how to conquer my emotions, to do things on autopilot, and to disregard the

consequences. I was a willing apprentice. Friday, July 12th, 1963, 25 year old Brady and 20 year old Hindley decided it was time. They went to work that day, finishing at 5pm, before going to Hindley's house to go over their plan one more time. Hindley didn't have a license yet, but she still drove her neighbour's black van anyway. Her neighbour had bought himself a new car, so he told Hindley she could use the van whenever she needed. They agreed that Hindley would drive around the streets of Gordon while Brady followed on his motorbike. When Hindley saw a potential victim, she'd slow down. If Ian approved of her choice, he'd flash the motorbike's headlight. Hindley said this about their plan. He'd told me what to wear, and had counted the buttons on

my coat. He'd counted the buttons on his coat and jacket and shirt, and made a list of everything. He was so methodical and precise. He thought of everything, every possibility, absolutely everything. They had dinner, and a little after 7.30pm, they left Hindley's place. They drove slowly through Taylor Street, and turned right into Gordon Lane. There, they saw a small girl walking on her own. Hindley slowed down even further, but sped off when she saw the girl's face. It was 8 year old Marie Ruck, who lived just around the corner from Hindley. After she sped off, Brady signalled for her to stop. Hindley pulled over and Brady wanted to know why she hadn't picked the girl up. Hindley said she knew her, and it was too much of a risk.

Plus, an 8 year old girl going missing would bring too much heat. Brady agreed with Hindley and told her to drive to Ashton Old Road, which was towards the railway line. Hindley headed that direction, but as she turned into Frogsma Street from Gordon Lane, she saw another girl walking on her own. She knew this girl as well, but she was older, so Hindley felt her disappearance wouldn't cause the same amount of heat as the disappearance of an 8 year old. Plus, Hindley felt that because she knew her, it would be easier to get her into the van. Hindley pulled the van up alongside her, and whispered to herself, if I can do this without conscience, I can do anything. The girl was 16 year old Pauline Reed. Pauline had gone to primary and secondary

school with Maureen, Hindley's sister. She worshipped at St Francis, where Hindley had gone since she was a child, until she met Brady. Pauline's father was a regular at the same pub as Bob, Hindley's father, and they often had drinks together. Hindley was also friendly with Pauline's mother, Joan. Pauline had a good relationship with her mother Joan, her father Amos, and her older brother Paul. She had dark hair and blue eyes, loved dancing, and composed songs and poems. Pauline had kept the same tight group of friends her entire life. Her best friend was Pat Cummings. They loved going to dances together, and would often plan to go dress the same. Pat Cummings said this about her best friend Pauline.

She was very quiet. When she came to our house, she would ask me to walk her home if it was dark. She was very frightened. She was not the sort to get into a car with a stranger. Pauline was a trainee baker. She worked with her father in Gorton. Her photograph appeared in the Gorton Reporter after she finished as one of three winners in a Christmas cake competition in 1962. She loved her job, and that Friday, the 12th of July, 63, she finished her shift by herself. Her father had already left to go home for a quick nap before heading to the pub. Pauline left the bakery and went to a friend's house, Linda. She asked Linda to go to the dance at the British Railway Social Club that night. Linda's mother didn't let her,

since the alcohol would be sold there. Pauline then went to see another friend. Again, the answer was no, because the alcohol would be sold. Pauline returned home and asked her mother Joan if she could talk to some of her friends' mothers to try and persuade them, so she didn't have to go to the dance alone. Joan agreed, and Pauline went upstairs to get ready. She had recently bought a twist frock which she wore along with white shoes, a blue coat, and white gloves. She put ten shillings in her pocket and walked downstairs. Joan gave her one of her lockets to wear. Joan didn't have any luck convincing Pauline's friends' mothers, so Pauline left for the dance on her own. She walked through Eaton Street, past Hindley's parents' house,

and when she got to Gorton Lane, her best friend, Pat, coming saw her. Pat had heard about Pauline going to the dance, and she couldn't believe she'd gone on her own, since she was usually so shy. Pat convinced another friend to go with her, and they decided to surprise Pauline by meeting her at the dance. They knew which way she would walk, so were waiting for her as she walked along Gorton Lane. It was just after 8pm. They followed her to Froxma Street, but then Pat and her friend waited until they lost sight of Pauline. They then ran to the dance another way, with the plan being to beat Pauline there, so they could surprise her at the entrance. They waited for Pauline, excited to surprise her. But as the minutes ticked by and there was no sign of her,

Pat decided Pauline must have chickened out going to the dance by herself, and had turned around and gone home. Pat and her friend left. In Froxma Street, Hindley pulled up next to Pauline, and asked if she would like a lift. Since Pauline knew Hindley and her family, she accepted and got into the van. Hindley opened the passenger door for her. Brady stopped his motorbike nearby. As Hindley drove off, she asked Pauline if she would mind taking a quick detour. Hindley said she had lost a glove, which was of great sentimental value to her, and wanted to go to the outskirts of the city to try and find it. She offered to give Pauline several records as a reward for her help. Pauline agreed, and Hindley drove towards

Sutterworth Mall, 22km away. Pauline herself had actually lost one of her gloves that night, just after she left home. Her mother, Joan, found it when she opened the front door to let her marry in after Pauline had left for the dance. Joan picked the glove up and placed it in a kitchen drawer. She went to bed feeling a lot more anxious about letting Pauline go to the dance alone. On the way to Sutterworth Mall, Hindley couldn't stop thinking about Pauline's perfume. It reminded her of the perfume she wore herself. Savils June. Pauline suddenly interrupted the silence between them to ask about Brady. Hindley said he was busy, but would head up to Sutterworth Mall to help look for the glove when he was free.

The truth was, he was right behind them. Hindley was gripping the steering wheel very tightly. Her knuckles were white, and she was barely speaking. Pauline asked if she was okay. Hindley didn't respond. When they arrived at Sutterworth Mall, Hindley turned off the engine, and they both got out. What happens next depends on whose version you go with, Brady's or Hindley's. According to Hindley, Brady had overtaken them before they got to the mall and was waiting for them. Hindley pretended to be surprised to see him. Brady told Hindley to move the van to a safer spot. As she did so, Pauline walked with Brady to search for Hindley's glove. Hindley watched as Brady and Pauline walked over the rocks at the mall. Pauline stumbled on the

rocks, and it was at that point Hindley looked away and concentrated on moving the van. She stayed in the van and doesn't know what happened. But Brady later banged on the window and told her he needed help with Pauline's body. Brady totally disagrees. He said Hindley was with them when they walked over the rocks, and not only did Hindley see exactly what happened, she joined in. She took an active part in a sexual assault, physically beaten, tortured Pauline, and then snatched the locket her mother had given her, saying, you won't need that, where you're going. Brady claims he struck Hindley during the attack because he was horrified at her attitude and behavior. His exact words were, quote, although I dropped to the depths of depravity, Myra dropped

even further. It is human nature that if caught, the pupil will blame the master for his criminal conduct. But should the criminal enterprises succeed, I can assure you from wide personal experience, the pupils yield and devotion to criminal activities can outdo that of the master, like that of a convert. Regardless on who was telling the truth, if either of them even are, Hindley agrees she assisted Brady after the murder. She said that after Brady stopped complaining about how much of a fight Pauline put up, he told her to wait with her body while he searched for a spade he'd hidden. Pauline's throat had been cut so deep, she was almost decapitated. About this specific moment, Hindley said, quote, I moved as far away from her as possible. I stood

and looked at the dark outline of the rocks against the horizon of the dark sky. Three people died that night. Pauline, my soul and God. When Brady returned with the spade, he told Hindley to go back to the van and watch the road. After a while, Brady joined Hindley at the van. He was carrying the spade and the knife. He put the spade inside a plastic bag and placed it in the back of the van. He wiped the knife on the grass and then wrapped it in newspaper before putting it on the dashboard. They then put Brady's motorbike in the back of the van using planks of wood as a ramp. Getting the motorbike in the back of the van had been part of their planning. They had practiced the routine many times to make sure they could do it quickly. They then headed back to

Gorton. The time was 10 30 p.m. On the way back to Gorton, Hindley says, I felt doubly doomed, first by the crime itself and also because I believed it was impossible to envisage your hope for any other kind of existence. On their way back home, they drove through Gorton Lane and saw Pauline's mother Joan and her brother Paul out looking for her. Hindley pointed them out to Brady. They reached a small farm near Hindley's house and parked the van. They took the motorbike out. Brady grabbed the spade and knife and they walked to Hindley's house. Brady walked through the back door and locked the spade and knife in a cupboard. Brady then came up with a plan to get rid of what he called forensic. Brady compiled a list of everything they needed to do. The first step

was cleaning the van. Hindley prepared a bucket of boiling water and using a sponge, Brady wiped down the inside, the outside and the tires. When he believed it was clean enough, they returned to Hindley's house. They placed a plastic sheet on the living room floor in front of the fireplace and Brady started cutting all of his clothes up into small pieces so they would be easier to burn. Along with his clothes, he also burnt his shoes. He grabbed the spade and knife from the cupboard and tried to break the handle of the knife, but he wasn't able to, so we threw it into the fire in one piece. Hindley said she didn't have any blood on her clothes, so she concentrated on cleaning her shoes and scrubbing the cupboard where Brady had put the spade and knife. When they'd finished,

Brady said, I am no longer of your world, if as you might suggest, I ever was. Hindley had this to say about the night. After Pauline's death, Ian and I were no longer of this world. I was frightened, but equally felt safe in the knowledge that I was a worthy apprentice. We celebrated our bonding with drink and sex. I would lay myself open to Ian in a physical demonstration of our unity. Ian and I became further bonded by the blood of our victims. Hindley denied gaining any sexual gratification from the murder, but said she gained a sense of security due to the fact that her and Brady could not be safe without the other. Quote, there were times when we would be paranoid about each other, but loyalty was a duty we both respected.

There was no room for weakness or treachery. The secret we shared bound us together more closely than any ties of affection possibly could. In the meantime, Pauline's parents Joan and Amos and her brother Paul continued searching the streets for Pauline. Amos broke away from the search to make a police report, while Joan and Paul kept looking. At one point during the search, Joan saw Linda, the first friend Pauline had asked to go to the dance. Joan lashed out at her and told her Pauline wouldn't be missing if she'd just gone to the dance with her. Linda ran home crying. The next morning, Saturday the 13th of July 1963, Hindley and Brady woke up early, about 6.45 am. Brady cursed when he discovered blood stains on the collar of his coat. He took

it to the sink and dabbed at the blood stains with a piece of cloth, trying to remove them. When he finished, he cleaned up the remains from the fireplace, wrapped them in newspaper, and threw them away. Except for the knife. The knife was blackened, but not completely destroyed. He wrapped that in a separate sheet of the Manchester Evening News and kept it to dispose of later. After they had breakfast, they rode to town on Brady's motorbike. They left his coat at the dry cleaners under the name Kennedy, who was the American president at the time. Brady then purchased cigarettes and a chocolate bar. After he had bought them, he told Hindley he had used four half-crowns from the money he found in Pauline's coat pocket. Hindley couldn't believe

he had kept the money and told him to replace the crowns and bury the exact amount of money Pauline had on her near the burial site, in case the missing money could somehow be traced back to them. Brady was at first annoyed by Hindley's reaction, but after considering it further, conceded she might be right. They continued riding to Macclesfield, about 32km south of Manchester. Brady threw the knife into the river and then burnt the newspaper it was wrapped in. There were children playing nearby. The next morning they got on Brady's motorbike again and rode to Sutterworth Mall. Brady replaced the coins he had taken from Pauline and scattered them around the crime scene. Brady then bought Hindley a record. It was the theme song to the 1962 film

The Legion's Last Patrol as it was titled in the UK. It was called Commando in the US. The theme song was by Ken Thorn and his orchestra. Brady called it an anniversary gift for the anniversary of their perfect crime. Now, if either of them hum the tune, it would be a private reference to Pauline. When they returned to Hindley's house, they found Hindley's mother Nellie, her sister Maureen and her grand inside discussing Pauline's disappearance. Hindley wasn't quite right thinking Pauline's disappearance wouldn't create as much heat as an eight-year-old. People were worried it was the talk of the town. One neighbour said, we all knew each other and that's partly why Pauline's disappearance made people so nervous.

Everyone tried to keep an open mind about it because people didn't just vanish in those days. If they did, it was with good reason. But with Pauline, no one knew what to think. It threw everything off kilter. Her family were absolutely positive she hadn't run away and we believed them. But if she hadn't run away, what had happened to her? There was no explanation, no clue. The police were unable to find any evidence to help them work out what had happened to Pauline. And with that came the rumours. Pauline had left town with a fairground worker, or she had run away to Australia. But to anyone who really knew her, that was impossible. Pauline wasn't the type of girl to run off without telling anyone. Plus, she didn't have a reason to.

Pauline's mother Joan was quoted in the Gorton and Openshore Reporter one week after her disappearance. This is a complete mystery. Pauline has no boyfriends and there has not been a fight at home. We would rather know that she was safe and have her back home, no matter what she may have done. The money Pauline had in her coat pocket was mentioned in this article. When Hindley read it, she felt relieved she had told Brady to replace the coins. On the 23rd of July 1963, 11 days after Pauline's murder, Hindley turned 21. Brady gave her a gold-plated watch. The neighbour who lent Hindley his van told her she could now keep it as a 21st birthday present.

Not long after, Hindley and Brady painted the van's interior white so that if there were any forensic traces left, they'd now be gone. They returned to Sutterworth more regularly. According to Hindley, returning to Pauline's burial site calmed Brady and gave him a renewed sense of dominion. The Gorton and Openshore Reporter kept on writing articles about Pauline. Three weeks after the murder, August 2nd, 1963, there was a feature article on the front page. Joan was quoted. She used to go dancing often. I was not worried at first, but I became alarmed when she failed to return. There will be no trouble for Pauline when she does come home. The police were also quoted. The search has drawn a complete blank and we

are very anxious about the situation. Police had drained a large section of the canal near where she was last seen. They'd used tracker dogs, dragged other nearby ponds, visited fairgrounds, coffee bars, cinemas, knocked on all the doors they could, questioned as many people as they could. But it turned up nothing. Along with the police inquiry, it was a known fact that Pauline's family were continuing their own search. Amos and Joan were always spotted out looking, often in the very early hours of the morning. Joan said, I was always looking. I even went house to house thinking I'd find her in one of the houses. I was always ready with my codon to run out as soon as daylight came. I went miles on my own, traveling on buses and thinking I'd

see her getting on one bus and running after another bus. That summer, Hindley and Brady went on a holiday to Scotland. Before they left, Hindley stopped at the police station to ask a favour. She asked them to please watch her van while she was away. It wasn't the first time Hindley and Brady had travelled to Scotland together. Brady had previously shown Hindley around, pointing out the houses he grew up in. On these trips, they would sometimes come across children by themselves. But Brady told Hindley he would never hurt a fellow Scott. When they returned home from their trip to Scotland, a police officer knocked on Hindley's door. It was about the van. Hindley's fear quickly turned to relief when the officer asked if

Hindley would be interested in selling him her van. Hindley was open to the idea and they agreed on a price of 25 pounds. But the officer said he couldn't exchange money while on duty, so he offered to take Hindley on a night out and pay her the money then. Hindley agreed. When Hindley told Brady about the encounter, he laughed hysterically. Hindley laughed along with him. Hindley's date with the police officer went ahead. He picked her up on his motorbike and they went to a pub in Gorton. After the pub, the officer drove her home. Hindley invited him inside for a cup of tea. While sitting in the living room, Hindley mentioned that she was in a serious relationship with Brady. But it wasn't long before they started kissing and then slept together.

At one point, Hindley said she wanted to tell the officer about Pauline, but she thought better of it. Instead, she asked him whether she should apply to join the police force. They made plans to meet again. Hindley was serious about wanting to join the police force. She went to Mill Street Station for an interview. They determined she was suitable for training and gave her an application form. When she told Brady, he laughed hysterically and said, Join the force, you'll pick up a lot of useful information. Once Brady said this, Hindley didn't want to join any longer, realizing where it would lead. One thing Brady didn't find hysterically funny was the possibility Hindley was sleeping with

a police officer. He was starting to suspect it. When he confronted her about it, Hindley remained silent, so he knew then his suspicions were confirmed. Hindley said Brady threatened to kill the officer. The officer himself said Brady turned up at Hindley's house while he was there and told him to back off. Still, they continued their affair for months, despite the fact Hindley remained with Brady and the police officer remained with his wife. In early November 1963, Hindley started visiting a gun club. It was Brady's idea. Brady had started talking about bank robberies again and said they would need guns for the robbery. Brady couldn't get guns because of his criminal record. Hindley didn't have much shooting talent. She was forever worrying about

the kick and she'd always close her eyes before shooting. Hindley purchased the Webley 45 for eight pounds and a nickel-plated two-inch barrel Smith & Wesson 38 for five pounds. She later purchased the target rifle from a store in Manchester. Brady and Hindley took the guns to the moors and shot at tin cans. Brady had a fascination with the guns and would spend hours cleaning them. One time, while cleaning the rifle, he pointed it at Hindley, his fingers slowly pulling the trigger. Hindley didn't know if it was loaded or not. She said, shoot me and put me out of my misery. Brady laughed and moved the rifle away, acting like nothing had happened. A few days later, Hindley was cleaning the Webley 45. She pointed it at Brady and told him it was

loaded. Brady looked at her with a petrified expression. He tried to move away, but froze when Hindley released the safety. Hindley started shaking, then threw it at him, asking him how he felt having a gun pointed at him. Hindley started crying and Brady smacked her in the head twice, telling her she was getting too far out of line and warning her to watch it, or he would put her in a place once and for all. By mid-November 1963, four months since Pauline's murder, Brady and Hindley started cleaning another one. According to Hindley, they were in the living room at her home, watching television, when Brady said, I want to do another one.

Hindley claimed she told him she didn't want to be involved. Brady told her she'd only have to coerce the victim into a hired car. He also told her that this time he wanted a child, firstly because of his sexual attraction to children, and secondly because of the way Pauline had struggled. He wanted someone he could handle better, someone who wouldn't stand a chance against him. Before putting their new plan into action, Hindley slept with the police officer one last time, then told him they were finished. He accepted that, paid Hindley for the van, and said goodbye. Hindley believed that with him, things would have turned out differently, quote, if we'd met before Ian and I did, I knew that the love that had gone between us

would have blossomed. I would have had no hesitation in marrying and having children with him. Hindley tried to hire a car, however she had only just gotten her license, even though she had driven off and without one. Her proper license wasn't ready, and all she had was a slip of paper saying that she'd passed the test. The rental agency rejected the slip of paper and wouldn't allow her to hire a car. When she got her proper license, she returned to the rental agency and hired a white Ford for the following weekend. On Friday the 22nd of November 1963, Brady went to Manchester Central Railway Station

and deposited a suitcase at the luggage storage, filled with what he called incriminating material. While he was at the station, he overheard a conversation that made him run over to a radio. He listened in to news reports that United States President, John F. Kennedy, had just been shot dead. The next morning, Saturday the 23rd of November, Hindley called a bus to pick up the hire car. She then drove to Brady's house in West Moorland Street. When Brady saw the hire car, he complained that it was too clean. When he finished complaining, he gave Hindley another present, a new record, 24 hours from Tulsa by Gene Pitney. Once again, this song would serve to remind them of their new

victim whenever they heard it or hummed it to each other. They drove to Leek in Staffordshire, 56km south of Manchester. They spent the morning at the Roaches, a prominent rocky ridge, 1657 feet above sea level, popular with hikers and rock climbers. They then drove north to Huddersfield, 70km away. They stopped for something to eat and a coffee. While in Huddersfield, Hindley walked into a hardware store wearing a black wig. She bought a spade, a knife, and a length of cord. Afterwards, they returned to Manchester and found a cinema playing from Russia with Love, the 007 film. They'd already seen it, but in the case they were later caught and asked questions

about their whereabouts, they would use the cinema and that movie as their alibi. Hindley dropped Brady home and then returned home herself. At 4pm that afternoon, Brady rode to Hindley's house on his motorbike. In the trunk of the hire car, Hindley and Brady laid out plastic sheets and put the target rifle, the spade, and the flashlight on top. Hindley put on her wig and a headscarf and went over the plan with Brady one more time. Once they picked up a victim, Hindley would drive to the moor and let Brady and the victim out. She would then drive away to Greenfield, which is near the entrance to the moor. She would wait 30 minutes and during that time get the rifle from the trunk and put it on the passenger seat. Then she would drive back to

the moor, to the spot she dropped off Brady and the victim. She would flash the headlights three times. If everything was going to plan, Brady would flash the flashlight three times. Once they were both happy with the plan, Hindley drove to Ashton Underline, 7km north of Gordon. They chose Ashton Underline as it had a popular market on the weekends, and on this particular Saturday there were over 100 stalls. Brady and Hindley were easily able to blend in and stalk children without anyone noticing. As soon as they arrived, Hindley went to the bathroom to adjust her wig and tie her headscarf tighter. When she walked out, she started browsing the stalls until she found Brady. He told her he'd already seen a young boy

who appeared to be on his own. Brady and Hindley linked arms so they looked like a normal couple, and Brady led her through the market until they reached the wall, where the boy sat eating broken biscuits from a bag. The boy was John Kilbride. John lived in a three-bedroom red brick house at 262 Small Shore Lane, Ashton Underline. His parents were Patrick and Sheila, and at 12 years of age, John was the oldest of seven children. He had brown hair, big eyes, and a gap tooth smile that made him recognizable in the neighborhood. He always walked with hands in pockets while whistling or singing. He attended St. Damien's Catholic Secondary School and was very happy there. He had a lot of friends and was always cheerful. He was a big fan of football,

especially the local team, Ashton United. His biggest passion though was movies. He went to the cinema whenever he could. John's grandmother lived close by and he would often visit her to offer his help around the house or in the garden. His grandmother suffered from gallstones and wasn't able to bend over easily, so she was glad to have John around. That morning, Saturday, November 23, 1963, John had gone shopping for his grandmother. After he dropped the groceries off, he went to the movies with three friends. All three were also called John. They went to the Pavilion Cinema, which was close to the market. They watched the Mongols, which finished at 5pm. After the movie, they had no money left, so they decided to go to the market and offer their assistance to

storekeepers for tips. Unbeknownst to John, his father Patrick had been in the market to buy shoes only 15 minutes prior. Since the market was large and crowded, the boys split up. John was able to pick up a few jobs helping out the stall holders. He was last seen by his friends at 5.30pm. Shortly after 5.30pm, Hindley approached John and said, You're out late for such a young lad, aren't you? Brady was standing behind Hindley and added that they had children of their own and could only imagine how worried his parents must be about him. They asked him his name and where he lived. Hindley offered him a lift home and John accepted, putting the plastic bag with broken biscuits in his pocket and jumping off the wall to join them.

While they were walking to the car, Brady and Hindley offered John a bottle of sherry they said they'd won in a raffle. John agreed to the gift. In the car, John sat in the front passenger seat while Brady sat in the back. Hindley locked the doors. Brady said the bottle of sherry they were going to give him was back at their house in Greenfield next to the moors. John agreed to go with them to get the sherry. When they got close to Greenfield, Brady said while they were there, they should try and find Hindley's lost glove, which held sentimental value to her. John didn't reply. Hindley drove the Sutterworth moor and parked the car. Brady asked John if he would help him look for Hindley's glove before they went back to their

place to get the sherry. John got out of the car and stood nervously next to the door. Brady fetched the flashlight from the trunk. The knife and cord were already in the pocket of his coat. He then signalled to John to follow him and they walked out onto the moor. Hindley watched as they walked away, noting the big height difference between Brady and John. Hindley drove to Greenfield and parked opposite a pub, the Clarence, which was located where the road ended and the moor started. She parked in a dark spot and got out of the car and put the rifle in the passenger seat as instructed. She kept checking her clock and when 30 minutes passed, she drove back to where she left Brady and John.

Once there, she flashed her headlights three times. In the middle of the darkness, she saw three slight flashes from the flashlight. She turned the car around and not long after, Brady appeared, out of breath. He opened the trunk and threw the spade inside. Hindley saw that he was also holding a small shoe. Brady explained it must have fallen off during the attack and he only noticed it after he buried John. He added that after he assaulted John, he wasn't able to kill him with the knife because the blade wasn't sharp enough, so instead he had to strangle him with the cord. After killing John, Brady looked up at the sky, shook his fist and shouted, take that you bastard. Later he explained, quote,

nothing less than challenging God or the indifferent universe will satisfy, a form of reversed hope as it were. Show me your power, your existence by stopping me. To be ignored is to be deprived of human dignity and meaning. Brady placed the knife and cord in the trunk and then got in the car. Hindley drove them back to Gordon. Back at Hindley's house, Brady went through the same steps of getting rid of what he called forensic. Again, Brady made a detailed list. The first step was cleaning the spade, which he did in the sink and afterwards he placed it in the cupboard along with the rifle. In the fireplace he burned his clothes, John's shoe and the handle of the knife which he was

able to separate easily this time. He disposed of the blade separately. The plastic sheeting they had laid in the trunk got thrown away and they wiped down the hire car thoroughly inside and out. When they finished, they both sat in front of the fire and drank three bottles of wine with whiskey chases. About that night, Hindley had this to say, quote, With the killing of John Kilbride, a child, I felt I'd crossed the Rubicon. Ian said good, admitting to have crossed the Rubicon was tenement to admitting what he tried to drum into my head, that what was done was done and couldn't be undone. There was no going back and even after the first murder, we were irrevocably bound together and more so after the second one.

Just then he looked up at the TV, there was either a football match on or late sports news, he said. Look at that massive crowd, who would miss one person, two, three, from all the millions of people in this country. I didn't say their parents and family, he never gave them a thought and I knew I'd really have to steal myself to do the same. In Ashton Underline, John's family was starting to worry. He was usually home by 5.30pm, but the hours continued to tick by and there was no sign of him. One of his brothers, Danny, started knocking on the doors of friends and relatives to see if they'd seen John, but no one had. At 9pm John's mother Sheila started to fear the worst, she didn't believe he could be anywhere

good. Since they didn't have a phone, she went to her sister's house and called the police. When the police officers walked inside the Kilbride house, they had to mute the TV as a news report about John F. Kennedy's assassination was blaring. While Sheila was speaking to the officers, she bragged down crying. One of the officers remembered the day well, many years later. Everyone knows where they were when Kennedy was killed and John Kilbride went missing a day later. I was working late in the dark room and I had a radio fixed up on one of the shelves and the announcement about the little lad came on there, crackling over the airwaves. The next day the search for John Kilbride started. Detective Chief Inspector John

Dorn was in charge of the case. Police visited the market and inspected trucks, questioned stall holders, opened boxes and went over just about everything in sight. John's parents Sheila and Danny started searching everywhere they could too. They got on buses and went to different towns to see if there was any sign of John. Deep down they knew it was pointless, since there was no reason for John to run away, but they found it impossible to sit and wait. That same morning in Gordon, Brady left Hindley's house and returned home to West Moreland Street. Fighting a hangover, Hindley returned the hire car. Although they thought they had cleaned the car thoroughly, the foreman at the car rental said it looked as if it had been through

a ploughed field. Two days after the murder, Monday the 25th of November, the Manchester Evening News posted an article about John. The headline read, dogs join in massive comb out for boy. At Millwood's, all of the staff were talking about the article and about John. Hindley and Brady read the article and Brady felt satisfaction. The crimes he was committing were starting to get highly public and he later stated, the audience is the value and quality of the act. Police took over 700 statements from storeholders and people who were at the market. 500 posters were distributed with John's picture and the title, Have You Seen This Boy? His brother Danny was haunted, especially by the posters which were everywhere he went.

They made him feel horrible because he still had no idea where John could be. On Wednesday, November 27th, Brady and Hindley went to the moor for what Brady called a reconnaissance, which meant checking that the burial sites hadn't been disturbed. That same day the Manchester Evening News wrote an article stating police would welcome anyone over the age of 18 to help them join the search for John. Danny also returned to school that day and everything seemed different. From then on, every Monday, the headmaster would say, let's say a prayer for John Kilbride and all of the children at school would turn to look at him. Danny didn't know what to do. Sheila kept preparing meals for John at dinnertime in case he came home.

There was a lot of media coverage of John's disappearance. It was still front page news a week later. Police divers searched the river team and police reported that their search was focused east of Lees Road. Lees Road was about eight kilometres away from the moor. When Hindley heard this report, she started to panic that they were getting closer to the burial sites. On Sunday, December 1st, 2000 volunteers searched through farms, abandoned buildings and parks. Sheila received a tip that a boy who looked like John had asked a newspaper seller in Barrie located 14 kilometres north of Manchester about Ashton United's progress, John's favourite team. Sheila immediately took a bus to Barrie and started knocking door to door, holding a

photograph of John and asking if anyone had seen him. A businessman who'd been following the search offered a reward of £100 to anyone who could give information about John's whereabouts. While watching TV, Brady asked Hindley, what do you think I'll get out of doing what we've done? Hindley responded that it was because he was in charge, he dominated and had the power over someone's life and death. Brady smiled at her and said, good, you know where I'm coming from now. On December 6th, the reporter newspaper said the search for John Kilbright was now the biggest search ever mounted for a missing person. Because of a lack of actual evidence, in mid-December, the press contacted a parapsychologist and a psychic. The parapsychologist couldn't offer

anything. The psychic, who was from Ashton underline, said she saw John out in the open, some way down a slope, with the skyline completely barren, not a tree in sight. A road on the right and near a stream. On December 21st, one month after the murder, Hindley once again rented a car for a new reconnaissance trip to the moor. Brady and Hindley did these trips often. Brady liked to sit at the moor and just stare for long periods of time. They would also go to small shore lane and sit staring at John Kilbright's house for long periods of time. Hindley said that at the moor, John Kilbright had a measure of peace, but at his house, his family were struggling to get through each day. John Kilbright's father, Patrick, wasn't coping any longer. The police had repeatedly

taken him in for questioning, suspecting he may have been responsible for John's disappearance. Patrick was starting to despise them for it. Patrick ended up in a violent fight at a pub when someone hinted he was to blame for John going missing. On December 27th, the local press did a story about Christmas at the Kilbright's house. They took a picture showing Sheila and Patrick sitting at the table with their six children. One chair was empty. To welcome in the new year, 1964, Brady and Hindley went to the moor and Brady held a whiskey bottle up and shouted. To John. In February 1964, Hindley bought a second hand Austin A40 car. Only 37% of households in the UK owned a car at the time. One of the first trips Hindley did with a car was to the moor

with Brady for another reconnaissance. This time though, they did something they hadn't done before. They took what they called souvenirs, which were photographs. They went on the trip with Puppet, Hindley's new black and white puppy from a littered Grand's dog Lassie had. Brady, like he did with all animals, loved the dog. When they reached the moor, they parked and walked to Pauline's burial site. Brady took a picture of Hindley standing near the site, cuddling Puppet. Then they walked over to the other side of the road where John's burial site was. Hindley crouched down on John's burial site, still holding Puppet. She looked down to the ground and Brady snapped the picture. About these souvenir photographs, Hindley said quote,

Ian would have liked the victims to have suffered for the rest of their lives after he had abused them. He could only save a past experiences through items that he kept under lock and key. Returning at a later date to rekindle the excitement. Some of the photographs that we took on the moors were constructed with the location of the graves taken into consideration. But Ian did not need a camera's image. He could reproduce the image in his own head. The pictures were later added to a photo album along with regular family pictures and holiday photos. To family and friends, they just looked like regular happy photos. They didn't know the sinister secret that laid underneath. At Easter, Brady and Hindley travelled back to Scotland.

They visited the memorial to Maggie Wall, a burial site for a woman who was burnt as a witch. As a young boy, Brady was impressed by the place and wanted Hindley to see it. They stole a stone from the grave and took a picture. On May 6, 1964, Hindley swapped the Austin A40 for a white Morris Mini Traveller, a two-door station wagon in which the back seat could be folded flat to create more room. With a new car, Hindley and Brady continued doing reconnaissance trips to the moor, where they took more souvenirs of the burial sites. On May 15, 1964, John Kilbride would have celebrated his 13th birthday.

Sheila bought him presents and wrote him a card that said, For John, if he is found by today, May 15, all my love. Sheila kept all of his belongings, went to church regularly to pray for him, and continued to walk the streets, hoping to see him somewhere. In Gorton, Jean, Amos, and Paul Reed were doing the same for Pauline. Meanwhile, Brady said to Hindley, I am ready to do another one. To be continued