Should Ian Brady be declared sane.....

I am really livid with BBC and press for giving this arch manipulator so much 'air space'. It should be treated as a minor criminal/mental health issue and confined to back pages. Yes, its important we learn what is decided but to let him manipulate things still by what he does and does not disclose is vile. Sorry, on this matter I have no compassion.

Isn't it ironic that two adjoining threads are looking at the issue of men who may be near to the end of their lives. Mandela, who the world is trying to cling on to, and Brady.

I agree with your post, Iam64.

He should not be allowed to have his own way. If he is declared insane, he should stay at Ashworth.

I doubt very much if he would be able to remember now where that little boy was buried as it happened so long ago. The moors have obviously changed over the years and he has not been a regular visitor to observe those changes.

Yes, agree with you Iam64. Brady is treated as any other patient in Ashworth, many of whom have delusions of grandeur.

Brady's perception of his status in the media seems to be his main point. It's reported that he claimed today he is the one remaining high profile patient in the system. He's wrong. He has the hallmarks of a deluded psychopath. He sees himself as special and allowed privileges that other criminal patients don't get. Surely he should have cottoned on by now that his every word and deed is recorded and discussed simply because he is a very high risk patient. If he he should be assessed as recovered from mental illness, and his risk to himself and others is lowered, he would be more likely to be transferred to a regional medium secure hospital, especially if a prison governor isn't prepared to take the risk of him trying to end his life.

I'm not convinced he does believe he can starve himself to death in prison. I suspect he is seeking publicity to feed his narcissistic belief about how special and intelligent he is. If he really does want to die, I believe he would have made some serious suicide attempts, and so far as I'm aware, he hasn't. I don't know if he is currently suffering from a treatable mental illness. He does have a dangerous and severe personality disorder, which is believed to be untreatable. He must be detained in whatever secure establishment the tribunal concludes is right for him. I was a child during his murderous spree, and have met police officers involved in the investigation, who were reduced to tears by the tapes etc he and Myra Hindley made. It's frustrating but not surprising that his man still attempts to control others, he is who is he and I don't believe any intervention will change that. I also don't believe he has the right to demand where he serves his life sentence. As so many people have said, he cared nothing for the rights of his victims or the people who loved them.

I suppose it's up to the psychiatrists to declare whether he's insane or not.

In the court drawings of Brady the nasogastric tube is in place - if he really wanted to die of starvation surely he would repeatedly pull this out.

Like Hindley, I think he's a supreme manipulator.

Brady might not now be mentally ill - I don't know, but guess we'll find out in due course. If he has a dangerous and severe personalty disorder (DSPD) he can still be detained in Ashworth under the Mental Health Act.

I don't understand why he thinks he'll be able to starve himself to death in prison. The prison Safer Custody policy ensures prisoners are cared for by trying to prevent suicide and self harm, and any number one governor who was asked to take Brady would want assurances about him not being enabled to kill himself in their prison. He's kiddng himself if he thinks he's going to get his own way.

Until he discloses where the other body is he should be kept alive.

kitty I see in the media to-day it has been reported that he does make himself toast and drink soup and that the people who look after him turn a blind eye to this,I do think he enjoys the media attention,I also think he should not be allowed to bring these requests re his starvation to the courts and made to serve his sentence.