Moors Murderer Ian Brady 'Eats Toast Every Day'

Serial killer Ian Brady, who has previously claimed he wants to starve himself to death, makes himself toast every morning, a tribunal has heard.

The Moors murderer, now 75, wants to be transferred from a maximum security psychiatric hospital, where staff have a duty to keep him alive by feeding him through his nose.

He has been on successive hunger strikes for the past 14 years but according to one of his nurses, Brady is now eating other foods.

Mark Sheppard, who works at Ashworth Hospital on Merseyside, said: "We make food available for Ian every evening which we know he takes.

"The reality is that we know Ian makes himself toast every morning. I would say most days we observe Ian eating."

When asked by Judge Robert Atherton whether Brady was trying to find a way of stopping his hunger strike and "not losing face", Mr Sheppard replied: "I find it hard to believe that Ian is not aware that we see him eating toast in the morning ... it (the hunger strike) serves a purpose for him."

The tribunal, which is being relayed from Ashworth to Manchester Civil Justice Centre, where press and members of the public are able to watch on TV screens, is sitting to determine whether Brady should be allowed to serve out the rest of his whole life sentence in prison.

Brady's legal team claim that although he has a severe narcissistic personality disorder, he is not mentally ill and could be treated in prison.

Doctors at Ashworth say he remains a paranoid schizophrenic who should stay at the hospital.

Earlier, the tribunal heard Brady's ability to respond to hospital treatment may have been hampered by his staying in one place.

He has been at Ashworth since 1985 after he was diagnosed as a psychopath and sectioned, having already spent 19 years in ordinary prison.

In 1999, his wrist was broken in what he claimed was an attack by staff. In response he began a hunger strike.

He claims he is not mentally ill and that he should be able to live in a normal prison where he can starve himself.

Psychologist David Glasgow told the hearing: "I was very surprised to learn that he is exceptional in that he has stayed in the same place with the same team for 30 years. This is just not a healthy position to be in.

"My concern is that his notoriety has affected his treatment.

"There is a compelling argument that the move in 1999 (from one ward to another) irretrievably compromised his relationship with that care team."

Mr Glasgow, who was called to give evidence by Brady's legal team, said he thought the current nursing care provided to Brady did not amount to treatment.

His opinion was that the hospital's overall therapeutic approach did not appear to have any goals.

The psychologist said he accepted the diagnosis of schizophrenia on Brady in the 1980s but that did not mean he suffered from it now.

He said he had seen numerous examples of Brady being thoughtful, civil and caring to staff and that he had responded positively to the use of therapy dogs.

Brady was jailed for life in 1966 after he and his partner Myra Hindley were convicted of luring children and teenagers to their deaths.

Some of their victims were sexually tortured before they were buried on Saddleworth Moor.

Pauline Reade, 16, disappeared on her way to a disco in July 1963 and John Kilbride, 12, was snatched in November the same year.

Keith Bennett was taken in June 1964 after he left home to visit his grandmother, while Lesley Ann Downey, 10, was lured away from a funfair on Boxing Day the same year.

Edward Evans, 17, was killed in October 1965.

Brady was given life for the murders of John, Lesley Ann and Edward. Keith's body has never been found.

Hindley was convicted of killing Lesley Ann and Edward and shielding Brady after John's murder, and jailed for life.

She died in hospital, still a prisoner, in November 2002 at the age of 60.