Lesley
Ann Downey (1954 - 26th December 1964)
Here I am at the grave of Lesley Ann Downey who was one of
the five victims killed by the infamous Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra
Hindley.
On Saturday 26th
December 1964 the ten-year-old went to fairground in Ancoats
in Manchester. With only a sixpence she was expected home shortly. However Brady
and Hindley were there solely to select someone to kill. They saw children
standing by the rides but noticed Lesley was on her own. Hindley approached her
and deliberately dropped some shopping bought from a local supermarket. Brady
approached from behind to close the trap. They asked Lesley to help them carry
some of the shopping back to their car. They drove her back to their home in
Hattersley (since demolished) where she helped them carry the shopping into the
house. Brady locked the front door and dragged the screaming schoolgirl
upstairs to a bedroom he had prepared early.
On the single
bed they stripped, tied and gagged Lesley, forced her to pose for nine
photographs, sexually assaulted her then strangled her (probably) with string.
They washed the corpse and put it in a white sheet. The following morning they
drove Lesley to Saddleworth Moor, dug a shallow grave
and put her naked body in it. They put her clothes at her feet, covered her up
and drove off. Only six months earlier they’d killed Keith Bennett and dumped
his body up here too (still not found.)
When the game
was up and police were investigating the murder of Arthur Edwards searches led
to a brown case owned by Brady; it was found at the lost luggage department at
Manchester Central Railways Station on 15th October 1965. In the
case was Brady’s copy of Hitler’s Mein
Kampf,
pornographic magazines and photographs of Myra Hindley gloating over the graves
of their victims, puppy dog in her arms. The case also contained a 13 minute
reel-to-reel audio tape of the Hindley and Brady as they struggled to tie up
Lesley before Bradley raped her (sadly the transcript of this tape is on the
internet.) Later in court Hindley insisted she didn’t kill Lesley, claiming she
was “downstairs” when Lesley was being undressed, was “looking out of the
window” when the photographs were taken and was “was running a bath” when
Lesley was strangled.
Lesley’s mum was
brought in to identify her daughter’s voice on the tape, something that she
would haunt her for the rest of her life. It also horrified the people on jury
duty who had to hear it.
Brady
and Hindley were convicted on 6th May 1966 for murdering three
children (it wasn’t until 1985 that they confessed to others). The death
penalty for murder had been abolished while Brady and Hindley were on remand.
The law only allowed the judge to sentence life imprisonment. Though the
killers should have been tossed into the hyena pit at Chester Zoo or hung
before a crowd at Old Trafford Football Stadium (all proceeds to charity) Brady
was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences and Hindley was given two. Brady
was taken to Durham Prison and Hindley was sent to Holloway Prison.
Eventually
Lesley’s body was found on the moors (the police escorted Hindley there). Delicate
bones were found protruding from a peak-soaked bog. Lesley was given a proper
funeral here at Southern Cemetery, Manchester. Her mum joined her in 1999 (also
a baby called Scott aged six months). How many layers of misery lay under this
headstone? I suppose only the parents of murdered children can understand what outer
limits of misery are touched on a daily basis.
Being
winter the cemetery was a little drab but this grave was amid a few evergreen
trees. I’ve visited many headstones but this one probably hides the saddest
tale so far.
Pointing to a photo of Lesley with
brothers Tommy and Brett…
As I visited in winter the cemetery was
quite dead so it was nice to see the grave in a green part. Was this evergreen
tree planted when Lesley was buried?
A visit in April 2019...
16, Wardle Brook Avenue, Hattersley where
Lesley was killed…
For associated links please click on any of the photos below:-
Keith Bennett Walk 1
Keith Bennett Walk 2
