Buzzcocks’ Steve Diggle reveals he ‘escaped from Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley’ as a child

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Steve Diggle recently shared a story about an encounter he had as a child with Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, the infamous Moors Murderers.

The 70-year-old musician from the Buzzcocks was raised near Bradford, Manchester, and first encountered the couple when he was just eight years old.

He told the i newspaper that it was Bonfire Night when a man with a Teddy Boy style and a blonde woman approached him. The man asked him to sit next to Myra, who lived nearby.

I almost went, but I was distracted by the doctor’s daughter. That’s how I avoided it.

Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, known as ‘The Moors Murderers,’ were a cruel couple who murdered five children in the 1960s. They buried the children’s bodies on Saddleworth Moor in northwest England.

Myra grew up in Crumpsall, Manchester while Ian, born in Glasgow, moved to the city in his teens. 

The couple moved to 16 Wardle Brook Avenue in late 1964 and planned some of the murders there. 

The building was torn down in 1987 by the Manchester City Council because it had no renters. The land is still vacant today.

Pauline Reade was the first known victim of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. In 1963, when she was only 16 years old, Hindley lured her to the moors, where Brady sexually assaulted and strangled her.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve always emphasized the importance of community safety, and it’s heartbreaking to recall the tragic events of 1963. That year, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley unfortunately targeted a young boy, 12-year-old John Kibride, luring him away from a market in Ashton-Under-Lyne. It’s a dark reminder of why vigilance and looking out for one another are so crucial.

As they often did, the three found themselves driving to the remote Saddleworth Moor. There, Brady confessed to Hindley that he had sexually assaulted and strangled the boy.

In 1964, 12-year-old Keith Bennet became the third victim. Hindley tricked him into a van by asking for help carrying boxes, while her cruel partner, Brady, observed from the back seat.

After driving to the remote Saddleworth Moor again, Brady confessed to Hindley that he had sexually assaulted and strangled the boy. Unlike the other four victims, this boy’s body was never recovered.

In 1964, Lesley Ann Downey, age 10, was tricked into going with Ian Brady and Myra Hindley from a fairground to their home. Once there, she was stripped, silenced, and tragically strangled.

After capturing a disturbing 16-minute recording of her murder, the pair left her body—clothed items nearby—in a shallow grave on the moor.

In 1965, 17-year-old Edward Evans became the final victim, killed by being struck with an axe, suffocated with a pillow, and strangled with an electrical cord.

Jeremy Coid, a forensic psychologist who assessed Ian Brady’s mental health in 2003, stated that while Brady’s crimes were horrific, he had previously encountered cases that were even more disturbing.

Myra Hindley’s notoriety as the Moors Murderer created a level of personal animosity towards her that Ian Brady had never experienced before.

He noted that experienced forensic psychiatrists should be mindful of the emotional impact their patients have on them, and vice versa – how they, as doctors, feel about their patients.

‘He didn’t make me afraid at all, but he produced in me a profoundly negative feeling. 

‘A feeling of personal dislike towards him that grew and grew as the interview went on.

He was affecting me on a deep, personal level. It became obvious during the interview that he was attempting to control me.

I’ve encountered criminals who committed terrible, even horrific, murders, but surprisingly, none of them affected me as negatively as this situation.

As a lifestyle expert who often looks at the psychology behind actions, I’ve always been struck by the stark contrast in how Brady and Hindley presented themselves. Brady simply never expressed any regret for the terrible things he did. Hindley, on the other hand, consistently claimed she was a victim herself – that she’d been physically abused and manipulated by her partner into committing these awful acts. It’s a chilling example of how people can rationalize even the most horrific behavior, and how different their responses to accountability can be.

Professor Coid highlighted the offender’s complete lack of remorse, stating he showed no regret and didn’t anticipate ever feeling any.

I questioned him about feeling regret, but he dismissed the idea, saying it was something that would never happen – not even on the day of judgment.

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2026-02-04 18:49