Between July 1963 and October 1965, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady murdered five children and buried their bodies on Saddleworth Moor. The victims were Edward Evans, 17, Keith Bennett, 12, Pauline Reade, 16, John Kilbride, 12, and Lesley Ann Downey, 10. However, others believe they managed to escape the clutches of the Moors Murderers.
Tommy Rhattigan's Escape
In November 1963, seven-year-old Tommy Rhattigan was approached by a young woman while sitting alone on swings in a playground known as Sand Park, on the border of Ardwick and Gorton. She invited him back to her grandmother's house for a slice of bread and jam, and he went with her, barely noticing the sullen man standing behind her smoking a cigarette.
When they arrived at a small terrace house, the woman became nervous and agitated. She returned with a thick slice of bread and jam for Tommy and a glass of sherry for herself. Tommy noticed the bread was dropped on the table, lacked margarine, and smelled sherry on her breath. He began to panic and fled through a sash window, escaping over a back wall into an alleyway.
Later Recognition and Contact with Brady
Two years later, living in a children's home, Tommy saw Brady and Hindley's faces on TV after their arrest. He told a staff member, "She took me to her house for bread and jam," but they laughed. In 2000, he wrote to Brady at Ashworth high-security hospital seeking closure. Brady replied insisting Tommy was mistaken, saying most people who met the couple don't remember it, as they were 'ordinary people, not dripping blood'.
Despite Brady's denial, Tommy remained convinced they crossed paths. He told the Manchester Evening News, "I believe he meant 'Yes we looked like ordinary people which is why we were easily able to entice our victims'."
Christine Walker's Encounter
Christine Walker was six years old in 1962 when she and her elder sister Maureen encountered an attractive blonde woman while walking their puppy near their home in Ardwick. The woman told them her boyfriend had a dog they would fall in love with. At Ardwick train station, the woman put her hands on both their shoulders as a train approached, feeling as if she was ready to throw them under it. The train didn't stop, and they pulled away and ran.
Years later, after seeing a newspaper picture of Hindley wearing a headscarf, Christine contacted the M.E.N. and viewed rarely printed photographs. She said, "It makes my blood run cold, but now I have seen the photographs I have absolutely no doubt. The woman who tried to pick up my sister, Maureen, and I was Myra Hindley."
Other Reported Close Calls
In December 1963, 10-year-old Hazel Cox was standing outside Ashton market when a car circled the market place several times. A woman she later believed was Hindley approached her and asked if she wanted to wait in the car, saying, "You must be frozen. Why not wait in the warm car, luv?" Hazel declined, remembering her mother's warning never to go with strangers. The pair gave up and drove off shortly before her parents returned.
In August 1964, Christine Slater was walking her pet Alsatian, Kim, on Ruby Street in Denton when a car pulled up with three people inside. A man in the back asked the way to Belle Vue and then tried to persuade her to come with them. He grabbed her right arm, but Kim launched himself at him. A lady coming up the street started shouting, "Let that girl go," and the group drove off. Christine later identified Hindley and Brady from newspaper pictures.
In 1965, 10-year-old David Gray was approached by a man claiming to be a police officer investigating meter thefts. When David asked to see his warrant card, the man replied, "You watch too many telly programmes sonny." David stepped back, accidentally knocking the shop door and making the bell ring. A woman in the car said, "Come on Ian, we've got to go," and the man walked off. David later saw the couple in the newspaper after their arrest and said, "I always think of that moment when I picked the paper up and my childhood ended."
