The case of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady has lingered in the public domain for decades. Their hideous crimes, murdering five children in the 60s, are hard to forget and impossible to forgive.
Myra Hindley died in jail in 2002 when she was 60.
Brady, now 74, was jailed in 1966 and detained at Ashworth Hospital, a high security psychiatric hospital, since 1985. He has been on successive hunger strikes since 1999 in attempt to kill himself and has been tube fed for the last 12 years as he refuses food. He now wants to be transferred to prison and be allowed to die.
Having just had a seizure it's possible that Brady is 'on his way out' but if he recovers from his current health predicament should he be transferred and be allowed to die? Has he served his time or is there no such thing as serving your time when you have done such appalling crimes? How much is our feeling about this case complicated by the intensity of its media profile and does that affect our judgement of it in a way that it doesn't with cases that have received less attention?
What's always fascinated me is the balance between 'mad', 'bad' and 'dangerous' - where does Brady fall within this balance and does this affect anything? Probably.
I can't help wondering whether he should be granted his wish provided he puts the mother of Keith Bennett, one of the children he murdered, out of her misery and tell her where he buried his body. At least that would bring her closure after all these years. Is there any part of Brady that is humane enough to do that for her if he does know/still remember?
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