Two briefcases guarded by Ian Brady's solicitor could hold vital information about the last undiscovered body of one of his victims.
Brady and Myra Hindley, tortured and murdered five children and buried them on Saddleworth Moor in the 1960s.
Dubbed 'The Moor Murders', Brady and Hindley were jailed for life in 1966 with Brady later moving to Ashworth Prison in Merseyside as he was considered insane.
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While at the high-security hospital in Maghull, evil Brady kept two locked Samsonite briefcases in his bedroom.
But hours before his death in 2017, Brady gave strict instructions for the briefcases to be handed to his solicitor.
And since his death, police have been unable to gain access to their contents.
However, in February 2021, there was fresh hope the briefcases could be opened.
Section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) gives police powers to enter and search specified premises and seize evidence, subject to application to a judge for a warrant.
However, the case of Keith Bennett identified a gap in the existing search warrant legislation.
12-year-old Keith was abducted and killed by Brady and Hindley in the 1960s. His family have been looking for his body for over fifty years.
Brady had previously suggested to the Bennett family that he held information relating to the location of Keith’s body, but the existence of the briefcases was not known until after his death.
A magistrate subsequently denied an application by Greater Manchester Police for search warrants to access the briefcases to see if they contained information, on the grounds that as both Brady and Hindley were deceased it was no longer possible to bring about any prosecution for criminal offences relating to Keith’s death.
The issue was raised with the Home Office in 2019. On investigation, it was concluded that there were no further avenues available to Greater Manchester Police and the Home Office made the decision to resolve the issue through a change in the law.
Priti Patel and the Home Office proposed a new 'Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill' in an attempt to change the law.
But following several readings, the bill has returned to the House of Commons to be discussed and amended, as it cannot be passed until both houses [House of Lords] agree to the changes.
Tonight on Channel 4, a new documentary will analyse never-before-seen letters from Brady and Hindley, written over their five decades in prison.
The first episode airs at 9pm.
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