MANCHESTER, England, June 18 (UPI) -- A sanity hearing began Monday for one of England's most notorious serial killers, Ian Brady, who committed the Moors murders with his girlfriend.
Brady, 75, wants to be transferred back to prison, where he would be able to starve himself, The Sun reported. He is being tube-fed after being on a hunger strike for more than a decade.
The hearing was held at Ashworth Hospital, a high-security institution near Liverpool, with news media, relatives of Brady's five victims and members of the public watching by video link in a Manchester courtroom.
Brady and his girlfriend, Myra Hindley, were convicted in 1966 of killing Edward Evans, 17, Lesley Ann Downey, 10, and John Kilbride, 12. In the late 1980s, they admitted killing of Pauline Reade, 16, and Keith Bennett, 12.
The killings got their name because most of the victims were buried on Saddleworth Moor near Manchester, although Keith's body was never found.
The hearing was the first time since 1985 when Brady has been visible to the public. Hindley died in 2002 in prison.
Dr. Cameron Boyd testified about his interviews with Brady. He said Brady denies being psychotic.
"In some ways his behavior was petty compared to that of politicians and soldiers during wars," Body said, summing up Brady's view of his crimes.
Dr. Adrian Grounds, a psychiatrist who testified for Brady, suggested that his desire to die is rational.
"He has no hope of release, he is realistic about that. Although he would like a better quality of life, he knows it will not happen," Grounds said. "In prison he would be more free to end his own life and would be able to control that better than in hospital."
