Should Ian Brady be declared sane.....

I can't help being fascinated by Brady, even though I hate him and all he stands for. It's impossible to understand what makes some people so evil. I'm glad he is staying in Ashworth, if only because therefore he is not getting his own way! And I'm not sure he should have been given this opportunity to showcase his twisted thinking. It must have been very distressing for the families of his victims.
Let us hope we hear no more of him.

Yes I believe there are many psychopaths who are very successful. I have worked with several people who seemed to fit the profile, including at least one manager who frightened the living daylights out of a few of us, though interestingly only the female staff. There was nothing concrete, in fact he was charm itself but the more you got to know him the more you realised he was empty behind the smile, if that makes sense.

I am reading 'The Psychopath Test' by Jon Ronson' at the moment - very thought-provoking and also very funny.

There are certainly people who are born without any empathy and cannot feel the pain of others. In other cases, possibly such as the young boys who killed Jamie Bulger, their own bad experiences fills them with hate and anger.
Many psychopaths live perfectly respectable lives, I believe.

The trouble is there will be people who will avidly read a book about Brady as have people who read avidly about Hindley.

greatnan - the nature/nurture debate keeps on rolling doesn't it. The concentration camps in the 2nd war remain a lesson to us all I believe. So many people were needed to operate that efficient killing/torture machine and so many did so. I appreciate that is different than the issue of single serial killers, or the possible folie a duex issue with couples who kill. The central point remains though, what is it that enables individuals to be so disturbed/self indulgent/disinhibited that they deliberately set out to do harm to others.

With you in that jingle.

So he stays in Ashworth. I hope we hear no more until the evil bastard dies.

Milgram.

I remember a programme about an experiment with American students, when most of them were willing to inflict pain on others (so they believed) as long as they thought it was sanctioned by authority (Nazi Germany?) and others were willing to do it.

I thnk believing you have nothing to loose, or are invincible somehow, makes it possible, nightowl.

I'm fascinated by what makes people do evil things as well Greatnan. I don't believe the evil gene theory, in fact I think we are all capable of doing evil things and there have been several psychology experiments which have shown this, such as the Stanford prison experiment' run by Zimbardo in the early 1970s. I find it quite chilling really and wonder what it takes for someone to step beyond social norms and apparently lose all empathy for others.

I am fascinated by what make some people do evil deeds. One theory I heard discussed was that there is, indeed, a 'gene' which gives a propensity for criminal activity, but it is only triggered by adverse life experiences. Brady apparently had some minor problems with the police which gave him a sense of injustice. He seems to have a megalomaniac personality disorder which led him to believe he could outwit the police. Would it have manifested itself quite so strongly had he not met Hindley and formed a 'folie a deux'?
I would never seek to excuse his deeds, but I would like to understand his true motivation.

I agree...or let rough justice do its worst. Sorry, I'm not an advocate of violence or capital punishment but some people really shouldn't be allowed to exist...

In that case, I vote he should be declared sane enough for prison and let him go on hunger strike.

We don't even need to force feed him theses days, he has toast and cuppa soups whenever he fancies!

And much as I like the idea of him being kept alive and force fed - £16 million - that's a lot for a rat.

Aha, a tribunal, I see. I wasn't paying attention. I suppose we will get more of them as he doesn't have Mrs Bennett to torment any more.

Crossed posts mollie

It was a mental health tribunal NfkDumpling rather than an appeal. Brady has a right to a tribunal because he is sectioned under the mental health act. They are heard by three professionals, headed by a judge. The fact that he remains on a section means he will be entitled to apply for further tribunals, so we may not have heard the last of him.

I think it was a mental health tribunal, not an appeal. And it was, I believe, played out in public at Bradys request. He's cost us £16m over the years...incredible!

I don't understand how this appeal came to court in the first place. A complete waste of money.

sussexpoet, I, for one, don't think you're wicked.

Ian Brady is still a manipulative sadist; for years he tantalised Keith Bennet's bereaved mother with the hope that he would lead her to her son's burial place. The poor woman died not long ago, still seeking the truth. Personally, I have always considered that Brady and Hindley should have been buried on Saddleworth Moor years ago, possibly without the formality of hanging them first! (and I bet that for every person who calls me wicked there will be 20 others who agree with me, even if they don't speak up)

I just hope that we never hear his name in the news again until the day that he dies. Hopefully he has had his last day in court, he can now retire to his room and be quietly forgotten about.

I don't know whether it was the right decision, because I don't have access to the evidence the tribunal heard. I'm sure Ian Brady is bad through and through, but whether he is mad as well is the 64,000 dollar question. What I am sure of is that it would have been a brave tribunal that made the decision he was sane, thereby allowing him to be transferred to prison with who knows what outcome. I don't actually care what happens to him but I thank god we have people who are willing to take care of those we would prefer never to think of again.