Volunteers start new search for body of Keith Bennett
From the Manchester Evening News
March 28, 2010
Volunteers from a mountain rescue team have started a private search for the body of 12-year-old Moors Murders victim Keith Bennett.
The hunt for Keith, who was snatched by killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley as he made his way to his grandmother’s house in Longsight in 1964, is taking place on Saddleworth Moor, near Manchester.
Since police abandoned the search for the body last year, hundreds of people donated to help pay for a new search and unpaid volunteers from rescue team in Wales have now started scouring the moorland.
The police investigation is classed as "dormant", and only a major scientific breakthrough or significant piece of fresh evidence would prompt a new search.
Keith’s mother Winnie Johnson, 76, has been unable to hold a funeral for her son as his body has never been found, but earlier this month she paid tribute to her son at a special memorial service.
A team of volunteers started a fresh search of Saddleworth Moor on Saturday and continued at a new location near the village of Greenfield on Sunday morning.
David Jones, director of the International Rescue Training Centre in Wales, who is leading the search, said: “It’s a large area. If we were to work this area as we do, this could be a 12-month search on just this one area.
“If we’re looking at all the sites we’ve been given, we could be here for months, years - it just depends which area we’re given and where we can locate a body.”
Keith’s mother Winnie, now 76, was on-site as the search by the team from Global Rescue Services began on Saturday, and Mr Jones said he hopes his group will be able to find the improvised grave for her.
“Hopefully she’ll have that closure in the not-too-far future. We’ll just do what we can.”
The search leader, who met Winnie for the first time last week, said: “I’ve told her I’m not promising anything and we’re just going to do what we can.”
The head of the Welsh mountain rescue team explained there are potentially 19 sites around Saddleworth Moor that have been earmarked for the team to meticulously scour.
They are relying on evidence from witnesses who have come forward with information they hope could find the youngster’s remains.
Police abandoned the hunt last year and the investigation is now classed as ’dormant’, with only a major scientific breakthrough or significant piece of fresh evidence able to prompt a new search.
It is hoped the team will be helped by its access to modern technology and better equipment.
The project is to be funded by money from hundreds of private donors, but Mr Jones said his team is made up of volunteers.
Asked how the project was being financed he said: “At the moment it’s not.
“They have started up the Keith Bennett Appeal, I believe, and they will be raising funds for whatever they need.
“We, as a registered charity, are giving our time and expenses for nothing, but obviously we can only stretch that so far and the more we get from the appeal, the more manpower we can put on the sites, and the longer we can stay.”
He added: “It’s no good taking this job on and just coming here every so often for the day or two days.”
Mr Jones explained why he decided to take on the challenge.
“We’ve had jobs like this in the past,” he said.
“It gives our dogs work in this specialist field and the dog-handlers more knowledge of working these sites. Also at the end of the day we’re looking at closure for Mrs Johnson.”
Brady and Hindley’s other child victims were Pauline Reade, 16, who disappeared on her way to a disco on July 12, 1963 and John Kilbride, 12, who was snatched in November the same year.
Lesley Ann Downey, 10, was lured away from a funfair on Boxing Day 1964 and Edward Evans, 17, was killed in October 1965.
Brady was given life at Chester Assizes in 1966 for the murders of John, Lesley Ann and Edward.
Hindley was convicted of killing Lesley Ann and Edward and shielding Brady after John’s murder, and jailed for life.
In 1987 the pair finally admitted killing Keith and Pauline.
Both were taken back to Saddleworth Moor in 1987 to help police find the remains of the missing victims but only Pauline’s body was found.
Hindley died in jail in November 2002, aged 60.
Brady has spent the last 25 years at high-security Ashworth Hospital in Merseyside.
