The Manchester police officer who hunted Moors Murders Ian Brady and Myra Hindley has died, aged 80.
Detective Chief Supt Peter Topping was famous for dragging Brady to Saddleworth Moor in July 1987 to get him to pinpoint where he buried the youngster as part of Th the probe into the killing of Keith Bennett and Pauline Reade.
But it was a grand gesture in vain.
And the chilling case continued to haunt him even after he retired to Scotland.
Until now, his death, in June has gone largely unnoticed and only a short obituary appeared in the Oban Times.
I met Topping a couple of times when I was reporting on the the on-going moors investigations and it is fair to say that he often adopted a brusque and sometimes overpowering nature.
Topping led the team that reopened the probe into the slayings of Keith and Pauline.
He admitted Brady’s death hadn’t brought him any closure as the monstrous killer took the secret of where he buried Keith to his grave.
And a couple of years ago he told how he still craved a breakthrough in the case which would allow the Keith’s loved ones to lay the 12-year-old schoolboy to rest, half a century after he vanished.
Speaking after the death of Glasgow-born Brady, 79, the former head of Greater Manchester CID admitted: “Brady’s passing, frankly, is a good thing, as he was never going to give any more information.
“He is no longer able to manipulate and use people. That is a form of closure but, as far as the case is concerned, I will never get closure.
“My team that worked on it in the Sixties — and others who worked on it after that — you can only get closure if and when we recover Keith Bennett’s body.”
Peter, who led a team of more than 900 CID officers said: “When we recovered the body of Pauline Reade that had a tremendous effect on the health of her mother Joan, who had been really suffering not knowing what had happened to her daughter.”
Alan Bennett’s powerful message to Pauline Reade’s family…
“On this day ( July 1st ) in 1987 the body of Pauline Reade was discovered and brought off Saddleworth Moor, 24 years after Pauline had been murdered and buried on the moor by Brady and Hindley.
After being returned to her family Pauline’s mum, Joan, told us that ‘It was like a big dark cloud had been lifted off my shoulders.’ Joan found some small peace of mind eventually and the change in her life after Pauline was found was so very good to see.
I met Pauline’s immediate family and I can honestly say that Pauline’s mum, Joan, who I met and got hugs from quite a few times, was one of the nicest and most sincere people I have ever met.
Thinking of and remembering Pauline and her family today.”
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