Moors Murders - Lasting Notoriety

Lasting Notoriety

The photographs and tape recording of the torture of Lesley Ann Downey, exhibited in court to a disbelieving audience, and the cool responses of Brady and Hindley, helped to ensure the lasting notoriety of their crimes; but it was Hindley's gender that made her so vilified. Brady, who says that he does not want to be released, was rarely mentioned in the news, but Hindley's repeated insistence on her innocence, followed by her attempts to secure her release after confessing her guilt, resulted in her becoming a figure of hate in the national media. Her oft-reprinted photograph, taken shortly after she was arrested, is described by some commentators as similar to the mythical Medusa and, according to author Helen Birch, has become "synonymous with the idea of feminine evil".

Given Hindley's status as a co-defendant in the first mass-murder trial held since the abolition of the death penalty, retribution was a common theme amongst those who sought to keep her locked away. Even her mother insisted that she should die in prison, partly for fear for her daughter's safety and partly out of the desire to avoid the possibility that one of the victims' relatives might kill her. Some commentators expressed the view that of the two, Hindley was the "more evil". Lord Longford, a devout Roman Catholic, campaigned to secure the release of "celebrated" criminals, and Myra Hindley in particular, which earned him constant derision from the public and the press. He described Hindley as a "delightful" person and said "you could loathe what people did but should not loathe what they were because human personality was sacred even though human behaviour was very often appalling". Despite his best efforts, the tabloid press branded him a "loony" and a "do-gooder" for supporting the "evil" Hindley. Hindley became a long-running source of material for the press, who printed embellished tales of her "cushy" life at the "5-star" Cookham Wood Prison and her liaisons with prison staff and other inmates.