Moors Murderer Ian Brady buried at sea after secret cremation
Ian Brady's ashes were buried at sea after a cremation in Southport last Wednesday, officials have confirmed.
The body of the Moors Murderer, who died aged 79 on May 15, was collected from the mortuary at Royal Liverpool hospital by a Tameside Council official on October 25.
Police escorted the body to Southport Crematorium where it was incinerated without ceremony, court documents show.
The ashes were placed in a weighted biodegradable urn, driven to Liverpool Marina and later dispatched at sea in the middle of the night on Thursday, October 26.
Along with Myra Hindley, Brady tortured and murdered five children in the 1960s. Hindley died in prison in 2002.
A judge ordered in October the decision of the ashes disposal was to be taken out of the hands of Brady’s executor over fears the remains would be scattered on Saddleworth Moor, where four of Brady’s victims were buried.
Brady and Hindley were convicted of sexually torturing children and teenagers before killing them and burying their bodies on the moors.
Their victims are: Pauline Reade, 16, who disappeared on her way to a disco on July 12 1963; John Kilbride, 12, who was snatched in November the same year; Keith Bennett, 12, who was taken on June 16 1964 after he left home to visit his grandmother; Lesley Ann Downey, 10, who was lured away from a fair on Boxing Day 1964; and Edward Evans, 17, who was killed in October 1965.
Brady received whole life sentences for the murders of John Kilbride, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward. Hindley was convicted of killing Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans, and shielding Brady after John's murder. She was jailed for life.
The body of Pauline Reade was found in 1987. Keith Keith Bennett’s has never been found, despite the pleas of his later mother who wanted to give her son a proper burial.
An inquest into Brady's death heard he died of natural causes.
"We are pleased that this matter is now concluded and we are grateful for the support and professionalism shown... to ensure Ian Stewart-Brady's body and remains were disposed of expediently at sea in a manner compatible with the public interest and those of the victim's relatives," a statement from Tameside and Oldham councils read.