Ian Brady's ashes '˜must not be scattered' on Saddleworth Moor

Ian Brady's body will not be released until assurances have been given that his ashes will not be scattered on Saddleworth Moor, a coroner has said.

Opening an inquest at Southport Town Hall into the 79-year-old killer’s death, senior coroner for Sefton Christopher Sumner said he also wants assurances that a funeral director and crematorium willing to take Brady’s body have been found.

Coroner’s officer Alby Howard-Murphy said Brady’s cause of death was cor pulmonale and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mr Sumner told the hearing he had received a request to release the body of Brady, also known as Ian Stewart-Brady.

Ian Brady pictured sitting on a wall on Saddleworth Moor. Picture: SWNS

He said: “I would like an assurance before I do so that first of all the person who asked to take over responsibility for that funeral has a funeral director willing to deal with the funeral and that he has a crematorium willing and able to cremate Mr Stewart-Brady’s body.

“Emotions are high, I have looked at some of the newspaper headlines, they are bound to be. Emotions are high, they are bound to be, not so much in this area but in the Manchester area.

“I also wanted to have assurance that when Mr Stewart-Brady is cremated his ashes will not be scattered on Saddleworth Moor. I think that’s a right and proper moral judgment to make.

“I think it would be offensive if Mr Stewart-Brady’s ashes were scattered on Saddleworth Moor.”

The court heard the serial killer had been treated by a palliative care team for the past two weeks because of his deteriorating health.

Mr Howard-Murphy said his feeding tube was removed on May 11.

The hearing was told Brady did not wish to be resuscitated if he suffered a cardiac arrest and he was pronounced dead at 6.02pm on Monday.

Mr Howard-Murphy said Brady “retained capacity throughout”.

He said: “There are no relatives of Ian Stewart-Brady known to the court.”

His body was identified by Ashworth site manager Michelle Anderton.

The eight-minute hearing was attended by 12 members of the press.

The coroner asked for a number of measures to be prepared before the next pre-inquest hearing.

They include medical reports from a consultant psychiatrist concerning Brady’s mental health, the attending doctors at time of death, the palliative care staff, his medical notes and an expert report regarding feeding through a tube in the nose.

The inquest was adjourned until June 29.