I remember The Moors Murders. I remember the genuine and deeply felt outrage which ran through our society when it realised that our political masters had wilfully abandoned the right, a matter of months before these appalling crimes came to light, to award punishments commensurate to the crimes committed.
Brady and Hindley were clearly the epitome of all evil. Their guilt was not an issue of 'beyond reasonable doubt' - but had been 100% established.
Nobody who had ever encountered their sick recordings of the voices of their victims being tortured was said ever to have been the same again - they were haunted for life by what they had heard.
When the death penalty was abolished, it was stated frequently that 'life would mean life in the future', yet in well under 20 years there were active campaigners, do-gooders in the very worst sense of the term, seeking the release of the appalling Hindley - but thanks to the sterling efforts of Michael Howard, this woman DID die in prison. It was equally likely that she could have been released!
A recent TV documentary showed how she manipulated all who surrounded her; she abused their trust; she lied, deceived and concealed. She claimed to have 'turned to the Church' at various points. Far be it from me to judge her on this matter - I am not permitted that - but against the backcloth of her prison behaviour, forgive me if I fail to see evidence of genuine remorse.
I do wonder if anybody who has tortured children to death for sexual gratification could ever be capable of embracing repentance. Only God knows the answer to that.
A study of the distinctions between sin and evil might prove useful for Christians. The two overlap of course, but are emphatically not the same thing.
Prison visitor Sarah Trevelyan was beguiled by her - if Hindley said it - then it was a fact. When Hindley finally admitted to her involvement in the murders, Trevelyan felt sick and confused. "I had this very good relationship with Myra, really, and I am very fond of her and truly supported her through all the years and had done a lot of work on this campaign for her to try and see that she would have a chance of being released. When this came to light I was just gutted…"
To make matters worse and to underpin the folly of not having executed her, fellow inmate Nikki Blake says, " Hindley wasn't treated as a normal prisoner: she was a special prisoner - a 'celeb con'. So she had special perks."
My anger is beyond limits!
She fooled prison officers, drawing a number into lesbian relationships; she enticed the Reverend Timms and the priest, Father Bert White into investigating ways which would permit her release and of course, we all know what a monkey she made out of the dotty Frank Packenham, Lord Longford, who seemed to believe that anything she stated had all the force of Holy Writ.
If they ever find anybody this evil in the future and want for a hangman - they only need give me a ring - and I won't even take a fee!
.jpeg)