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At the time of her confession, Hindley's solicitor expressed his belief that her chances of parole were greatly enhanced by her display of remorse, and he expected that she might succeed in gaining her release in another ten years. With this in mind, despite her 1987 declaration that she would not continue her fight for freedom, Hindley again applied for parole in 1986. Bowing to the weight of public opinion and the fierce campaigning of the victims' families, Home Secretary Michael Howard declared that Hindley would never be released, along with twenty-three other prisoners, including Ian Brady, Peter Sutcliffe and Dennis Nilsen.

In 1997, Hindley was allowed to challenge the former Home Secretary Howard's decision in a judicial review by the High Court. Both Lord Longford and Lord Astor, former editor of the Observer, supported her attempt, claiming that her continued incarceration was a denial of British justice. He stated that in no other case had a prisoner's sentence been increased from the original term, in this case thirty years. In January 1988, Hindley's council, Mr. Edward Fitzgerald QC, reiterated Astor and Longford's sentiments in the High Court. According to Fitzgerald, Hindley's was the only case in which a "secondary party" to murder was given natural life. He also stated that Home Secretary Jack Straw, while publicly maintaining that Hindley's case was open to review, had privately said "I will not be the Home Secretary who sets her free." Fitzgerald believed that such statements made it impossible for any future Home Secretary to do so.

Hindley's challenge was unsuccessful.




Epilogue


In 1998, while Brady languished in jail, the British public was no more ready to forgive Myra Hindley than they had been back in 1965. It is difficult to imagine that any future Home Secretary will be willing to risk his career to release her. Perhaps if Hindley had been more patient in her attempt to gain her freedom and waited until the original thirty year period had come to an end before applying for parole, the public emotion toward her may have had a chance to cool. As it was, the public was constantly reminded of its initial reaction to the murders by Myra's regular coverage in the media. That first image of a peroxide, glowering and dark-eyed Hindley, left an indelible impression on the minds of the British public who saw her as the personification of evil, an image that they are obviously unwilling to forget.

In the last days of 1999, Myra, age 57, was briefly released from Highpoint Prison in Suffolk to West Suffolk Hospital to undergo tests after she collapsed. Prison officials were concerned that she may have suffered a stroke. However, hospital spokesman said, "Hospital doctors have decided that the patient is fit enough to be discharged into the care of the Prison Service." Myra smokes heavily and suffers from angina and high blood pressure.

On January 1, 2000, it was announced that Hindley was going to take her life imprisonment battle to the House of Lords. At this time, Myra had served more than 33 years in jail. Ian Brady, age 61, had gone on a 3-month hunger strike, hoping to kill himself rather than die in prison.


Update of the Myra Hindley Story
by Patrick Bellamy

Campaign for freedom

In 1997, 31 years after she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, Myra Hindley began a campaign for her early release. A news story, featured in BBCТs Online Crime Archive, detailed how Hindley believes she has УatonedФ for her crimes and should be released from prison.

A month earlier, Sir Frederick Lawton, a former Appeals Court judge, had said the Home Secretary Jack Straw was wrong in his decision that Hindley should never be released as he did not take into consideration the parole board's view that Hindley had Уconfronted her offending behavior and was no longer a risk to the public.Ф

Her original sentence, set in 1985 by the British Home Office, was for 30 years, which meant she would have been due for release in 1996.

However in 1990, the then Conservative Home Secretary, David Waddington, decreed, "Life should mean life," meaning Hindley would die in prison.

In 1994, WaddingtonТs decision was confirmed by the then Home Secretary, Michael Howard, and again when Jack Straw took office after LaborТs election victory in May 1997.

Lawton also said he believed that if the decision had been left to the judges, justice would have been done and Myra Hindley would be free, regardless of the outcry such a decision would have caused.

Based on these and other comments, Hindley's lawyers launched an appeal against the original ruling but on Thursday, December 18, 1997, the appeal was rejected.

Following the decision Hindley was placed on a Уsuicide watchФ at Durham Prison.


Life Behind Bars



Although Hindley continues to fight for her release she is aware that her life would be far from normal outside of prison as relatives of her victims have vowed vengeance if she is ever released. She has gained a degree in humanities, spends most of her time reading and studying languages and, according to her prison counselor, Уdeeply regrets her involvement with Brady.Ф

Since УrediscoveringФ her faith in Catholicism during the 70Тs, Hindley continues to express sorrow and remorse for her crimes. "I ask people to judge me as I am now and not as I was then," she has stated.

During her years in prison she has attracted a long list of supporters including Lord Longford, solicitor Andrew McCooey, the Reverend Peter Timms, and David Astor, a former editor of The Observer.