Ian Brady

Most of you will have heard the story in today's news, that Moors murderer, Ian Brady, has written to Mrs. Winnie Johnson, the mother of Keith Bennett, one of his victims, to complain about his treatment in detention. The poor love, my heart bleeds for him.

How sick is this guy? Is it not bad enough that he took Mrs. Johnson's little boy away from here? He destroyed her when he killed little Keith. Yet, here he is, writing to her to complain about his own situation, which he wouldn't be in, had he not killed her child, and a few others. To me, this is sick mockery of a woman who has already suffered far too much in her life. How was he able to obtain her address? Why was he able to sneak this letter out past security?

I think the civil libertarians and bleeding heart do-gooders of this country have far too much influence. I appreciate that prisoners must be afforded some human rights. After all, we are the civilised ones, and if we start mistreating and abusing prisoners, we become just as bad as them. But, everything needs to take place in moderation. According to a spokeswoman at Ashworth high security hospital, where Brady is held, his letter to Mrs. Johnson "...might have been passed to a visitor to post on his behalf or it might have been via a letter to a lawyer, MP or independent advocate... the hospital doesn't open these letters as these relationships are regarded as a private one".

In the case of warped individuals like Ian Brady, there should be no right to confidentiality of communication. He forfeited any such right when he killed Keith Bennett and at least four other young people. The person who passed this letter on, should be ashamed of themselves. They must have known who Mrs. Johnson is. If not, they should have realised there was a reason why Brady wanted to sneak this letter out, rather than allowing it to go through the usual channels, where it would be scrutinised, and no doubt, confiscated.

What manner of monster taunts the seventy two year-old mother of one of his child victims? I doubt Mrs. Johnson needs anything to remind her of her loss: it will be with her every waking minute of every day. A communication from Brady must have been her second worst nightmare. He plunged her into her worst nightmare forty one years ago. How dare he? How dare he take a child's life? And how dare he have the gall to complain about his situation, when his own evil actions placed him where he is? Why not complain to the press? His lawyer? His MP? Why Winnie Johnson?

I'll tell you why. In his twisted way of thinking, he blames his victims for his crimes, for leading him to a temptation he could not resist. He no doubt blames the mothers of those children for their existence. So, by writing to Mrs. Johnson, he is simply punishing her all over again. Like all psychopaths, he simply will not assume responsibility for his actions, or accept that he is where he is, through no fault other than his own. So he has to find someone else to blame. It is time this man, if I can call him that, had all his privileges removed, especially private correspondence. After all, it is time Mrs. Johnson and the other surviving relatives of Brady's victims, were allowed some semblance of peace, unassaulted by fresh injury from this vile, self-pitying child-killer.