Victims welcome Brady ruling

Ian Brady: Denied the right to die

Families of some of the moors murderers' victims have welcomed a judge's decision denying Ian Brady the right to starve himself to death.

Danny Kilbride, the brother of 12-year-old John Kilbride, one of Brady's victims, said he believed while the murderer was alive he should be force fed.

John Kilbride, 12, one of Brady's victims

"His life doesn't belong to him any more, it belongs to the victims' families and that's the way it should be," Mr Kilbride said.

"Now that he's got this decision I don't think he'll carry on with his hunger strike as it's very painful and I don't think he's that brave."

'Kick in the teeth'

Brady was given life for the murder of John, who was killed in November 1963.

But not all of the victim's families were celebrating Friday's ruling.

Alan West, whose late wife Ann's daughter Lesley Ann Downey was one of Brady's victims, said the verdict was a kick in the teeth.

Lesley Ann Downey was murdered by Brady and Hindley

"I am not speaking for the other families but I feel that for Lesley Ann and my late wife that he should have been allowed to starve himself," he said.

"He has never felt pain, not like the children when they were doing what they were doing.

"He has never understood pain. If he could die from a hunger strike he would get to know what pain was like," Mr West said.

Norman Brennan, who represents all the families of the victims and is a director of Victims Against Crime, said the judge's decision was right.

"Both Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were sentenced to life imprisonment and that is what they should serve," he said. "They shouldn't be allowed to commit suicide."

Norman Brennan believes judge's decision was right

Mr Brennan said Winnie Johnson, the mother of Brady and Hindley's victim Keith Bennett, whose body has never been found, was pleased Brady had been denied the right to die.

"She is of the opinion that when Brady and Hindley died so does all hope of ever finding Keith's body," Mr Brennan said.

But he said he was not surprised some of the victims' families would welcome the deaths of the two killers.

"It would take off the strain they have had to go through for 36 years," Mr Brennan said.

Mr Brennan said the families of Brady and Hindley's victims wanted was to have some sort of peace.

"They would like Brady and Hindley to get on with their sentences and realise there is no possible chance of release and to stop manipulating anyone who shows them some type of sympathy," he said.

"Brady and Hindley are not mad - they are evil and society must never forget the terrible ordeals those five children went through at their hands."