crime

[dick]

were the moors murderers tapes ever made public?

[andy hughes]

I was nine when the Moors Murders took place, and it's impossible nowadays to conceive the nationwide horror and anguish that took over the nation when details of the crimes were made known. Generations to come have wondered at the hatred attatched to Myra Hindley up until and indeed past her death. For that reason, I cannot believe that the recordings made at that time would ever come into the public domain. The sounds of those poor children will no doubt remain in the minds of the trail jurors, and hopefully no-one else will ever hear them.

[bobbobley]

andy hughes was it the fact that this was pretty much the first major child killing thing that made it seem so bad? I ask because, in my 30 years on the planet it seems like we're pretty used to this sort of thing happening (sadly, obviously) but I remember reading a book on the Moors Murderers when I was 15 or so and not being that disgusted by the details of the trials, and the tapes etc. I think this may be due to the fact that by that time of my life I had heard and seen worse on the news and films etc.

just interested in someone's opinion who remembers it happening - my Mum and Dad used to always refer to it as being horrific but its not much worse than any murders is it? serial killers keep trophies, film the acts, record them etc. Was the first of its kind which is why it was so bad at the time?

[Lindylou]

This happened when I was a child and I remember reading that one tape was played to the jury with one of the child victims, so tortured and confused, kept pleading please mummy I'm sorry I was I bad please don't hurt me. Apparently Myra Hindley was cutting off her fingers with a secatures at the time. It was the fact that the child confused her torturer with her mother that upset so many people. Can you image the mother's feelings???

[smorodina]

In this day and age when films of Americans being murdered are freely available on the internet, it is hard to remember that the moors murders were really the first big crime to receive mass coverage on TV as well as the newspapers. We all know that there were atrocities before this, but they never got the blanket coverage and the outcry would have been more localised. We saw pictures of the criminals and films of the searches, and everyone in the country was shocked by the crimes. Today, we see blanket overkill coverage of every bombing, murder, celebrity death, etc., and I think it's hard to see quite how shocked people were the first time this happened. I hadn't heard about the secatures before and, even now, it makes me feel sick. I hope to Christ these tapes never do become public just to sate the sick and morbid curiosity that so many sites now pander to.

[dick]

they should never be made public because sickoes would rush to listen / collect them. i just wondered whether some 'scroat' had tried to sell them to make a few bob. i would assume the tapes are in the scotland yard black museum. or am i wrong?

[Greedyfly]

Well I would be very interested to hear them and I assure you I wouldnt be doing it to get ideas and I am not a sicko. But I agree it cloud be a little dangerous letting people listen to stuff like this - we are sheilded from things a little when it comes to news etc.. we obviously dont 'see' what is going on and very often have to imagine what went on. The reason I feel the Hindley case was so disturbing was that back then we could leave our houses unlocked and children could play in the street. Im not sure if it was safer then or people were just naive but when something like that happens it shocks people.

[andy hughes]

In answer to bobbobley's question - it was indeed a sign of a far more innocent time that such outrage was generated by the Moors Murders. The horror was generated by the notion that ian Brady was (and indeed is) criminally insane, but that Myra Hindley assisted him in procurring the youngsters, and in tape recording their torture and murder. Of course, we are more immune to such facts in our violnt modern times, but this was cruelty of an undreamed of magnitude at the time, hence the outcry, and the long memories of those who were alive at that time.I'm not sure if the actual details of the torture were released - I think the notion of Hindley cutting off fingers may be an urban myth (God I hope so!) but it's a sad state of affairs that what shocked and horrified us back then would simply make us shrug and accept now.

[Headtime]

You make a good point Andy, but I don't think we are more immune to these sorts of crimes. Just look at the coverage of the terrible events in Soham, and the public reaction to Maxine Carr's release. Horrific crimes against children have sadly always been with us, but thankfully they still are relatively rare. I think statistics bear out that these sort of crimes are not actually on the increase.

I work in News for a living, and it could be argued that it's widespread coverage in the papers and on television that has lead to an increased public perception that children are in greater peril today than they have been in the past.

On the subject of the Hindley tapes, I hadn't heard about the cutting fingers off element before. I can tell you that despite seeing despicable images regulaily as part of my job, I would have absolutely no interest whatsoever in hearing those recordings. There are some things that you just shouldn't have in your brain.

I happened to see a brief snatch of the beheading in Iraq last week, it was very unpleasant, unsettling and I wish that I hadn't had to see it.

[andy hughes]

Thanks Headtime - I entirely agree with your point about the avaiability of the audio tapes - some things are best left as far from our experience as possible. I'm also pleased to read your concurrence with my theory that the extreme physical abuse of that poor child is unlikely to have been part of her dreadful death. I still think of her, knowing she would be a woman in her fifties had she lived -what a dreadful waste. As liberal as I try to be, I cannot see the notion that Hyndley was 'reformed' and should have been released, as proposed by the excerable Lord Longford - it opens up the entire 'punishment v. revenge' argument, but I know which side I come down on.

[derbyram]

I'm 33 now and though I was aware of the moors case and felt the hatred which my parents had for the pair of them, I never really attached anymore revulsion to tyhe crime than the many other unspeakable acts that are broadcast into my living room on an all too frequent basis. But being the proud father of a 4 week old girl and reading Lindylou's posting which contains details I had never seen or heard before, I am repulsed beyond words. The tapes should never be released a) to prevent fuelling the appetite of the morally retarded and b) to attempt to preserve some dignity for the families of the victims.