Moors Murder brother reacts to Brady Mental Health Tribunal

By Ashley Derricott

The brother of Moors Murder victim Keith Bennett has given his reaction to the decision of Ian Brady's Mental Health Tribunal - that he was too mentally ill to leave Ashworth Hospital in Merseyside.

Alan Bennett, the brother of 12 year old Keith - whose body has never been found - sat through the hearing relayed to TV screens at Manchester's Civil Justice Centre.

Here Alan shares his view, in his own words, with ITV News.

"I did attend the tribunal for the full eight days and I have to say the only surprise to me was hearing about how far Ashworth had gone to accommodate Brady.

I understand the reasons to a certain extent but it was a surprise just how much happens in an effort to keep Brady as calm as possible. Vetting patients before they are allowed to share the same ward as Brady seemed a bit too much to me.

Judge Atherton felt it would be ok to inform the media when Brady would be speaking and on the day Brady did speak he even asked Brady's solicitor to move back in her seat so Brady could be seen clearly. I would have preferred him to make it clear that the hearing was not the 'Brady Show'.

Before the hearing I was not sure if Brady would be speaking and it did not really matter to me at that time. I just wanted the truth to come out. I have to say now that I am glad Brady did have his say, he tied his own defence team in knots, never gave a definitive answer under cross-examination and went on show anybody interested that he is nothing more than a self-pitying liar.

I am hoping that now Ashworth have been able to have their say without any fear of breaking patient confidentiality Brady will be seen for what he is, what he does, what he gets away with and just how much nonsense the staff at Ashworth have put up with over the years.

I would also like to think that now the public know the truth and full extent of the abuse they put up with and the 'I can do as I please' attitude of Brady.

No doubt Brady will feel even more hard done by now as, I believe, his request for a public hearing has backfired on him. I have to say that I am happiest knowing Brady will be at his unhappiest. I know he hates Ashworth and I cannot be sure he would feel the same about any other place he may be sent to. Besides that, I do not think Brady should be allowed to move just because he wants to.

It is a good feeling to know that the truth is out now and the public know Brady's 'hunger strike' is nothing more than another publicity stunt on his behalf. He does eat normally and the nasal tube should now be seen for what it really is- an empty, meaningless symbol of his supposed protest at his 'mistreatment' and also an empty symbol of his act of defiance towards the system.

Furthermore, his claims of wanting the right to starve himself to death is also nothing more than a further self-pitying publicity stunt. He has never intended to do do as he had claimed he wants to. That also came out in the tribunal hearing, although I have never believed either stunt had any real meaning or intention.

It was no surprise to me that the real truth behind these stunts was brought to light, I am just pleased that they and Brady have finally been exposed to the public. I also hope the 'hunger strike' will never be reported on again and if it is it will continue to be exposed as yet another falsehood of Brady's.

Brady never got the full audience he had, no doubt, hoped for either. The public gallery was never full and on most days there were no more than ten people attending. So there was not much public interest in actually being able to attend the hearing and people preferred to rely on the media coverage, Brady's action in wanting a public hearing was nothing more than a point scoring exercise against Ashworth, as his actions in Ashworth seem to be.

Does he really want to go to prison? I believe that if he does it is solely in the hope that he will be transferred to a segregation unit to be with people like himself. He has often spoken/written about his time in spent in prison in the past with more than a touch of nostalgia. His days of being able to play chess with other notorious prisoners and so on.

He never saw them as 'maggots' as he does with the staff and other patients at Ashworth. He believes he is superior to all staff and patients at Ashworth and the human race in general. He is nothing more than a serial killer of children, a paedophile, a coward and a self-pitying liar.

He sees his crimes as nothing more than a 'recreational' activity, and an 'existential experience.'

I was informed before the tribunal that the hearing was not about Keith or Brady's crimes and he would not be asked about the details of his crimes, so it was no surprise that did not happen.

The victims do not matter to Brady and neither do their families. The only people that matter to Brady is himself and the people he can manipulate and there are a too many people willing to be manipulated by Brady."

There is a website dedicated to finding Keith Bennett's body www.searchingforkeith.com