Overview
- In Newcastle in 1968, 11-year-old Mary Bell killed Martin Brown, 4, and Brian Howe, 3, and was convicted of manslaughter and detained.
- A Home Office psychiatrist testified that Bell had a psychopathic disorder under the Mental Health Act, while no appropriate hospital placement could be identified.
- The trial judge called her “dangerous,” warned of a grave risk to other children, and ordered detention with an expectation of years of treatment.
- Detectives linked her to Brian Howe’s death after she mentioned broken scissors known only to police, and a coroner concluded a child committed the killing.
- Bell spent years in institutions, briefly escaped in 1977, was released in 1980 with a new identity and anonymity, and was later described by police in 2003 as not considered dangerous.