Analysis of Myra Hindleys Crimes - Case Study Example

Case Study of Myra Hindley Name Institution Abstract Myra Hindley crimes have attracted the attention of researchers and media. It has been reported that between 1963 and 1965, about five children killed by both Myra Hindley and her lover Ian Brady. Their bodies were found damped in Saddleworth Moor. However, the number of children murdered is said to be higher than reported. The intention of this study is to establish the psychological traits of Myra Hindley which led to her decision to commit murders. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the reasons that drove Myra Hindley to committing murder. The paper offers the history of Myra which will offer some explanations as to why she committed serial killing. The article includes an analysis of several journals, newspapers and websites among others that assist in explaining the facts of Myra Hindley crimes. One reason why Myra committed crime was to please his boyfriend. She also had psychopathy behaviour that was as a result of her life history. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 Definition of the offence 5 3.0 History of the Offender 6 3.1 Life Event from Childhood from Adulthood 6 3.2Triggers of Offending Behaviour 8 4.0 Theoretical explanation of behaviour 10 4.1 Psychopathy Personality Theory 10 4.2 Biological Theory 10 4.3 Behavioural Theory 11 4.4 Differential Association-Reinforcement Theory 11 5.0 Conclusion 11 References 12 1.0 Introduction Myra Hindley was convicted of killing a total of five children with his lover Ian Brady as her accomplice. First, Myra killed two children and was assisted to murder the third by this lover (Hawkins, 2004). In addition to this, she admitted to killing other two more children in 1985. Before committing the murder, she tortured them and disposed their bodies in Saddleworth Moor. This led to the murders being referred as Moors Murders (BBC News, 2002). Myra has been termed as one of the evil women in the history. However, she protested that her role in the killings were attributed her desire to please Brady. According to the tape released during her trial, Hindley tortured her victims before killing them and played a major role in the murders than Brady (Edge, 2008). Hindley’s sisters husband was the one who reported her to the police and led to successful convictions. To date, one body has not been found even after the attempt to find it (Edge, 2008). In addition, it is possible that there are still some more child victims so far not disclosed. Some of Myra’s life experiences could have contributed to her murders. For instance, poor parenting may have led to her psychopathy behaviour that gave her the desire to kill children. This study will highlight and define the offences committed by Myra Hindley in legal jurisdiction according to the Criminal Code of Western Australia. In addition, the paper will provide the history of Myra and the events that contributed to his offending behaviour. The study will also illustrate the connection between Myra’s life events and the murders committed. It will explain the behaviours of Myra using relevant theories. 2.0 Definition of the offence According to Myra Hindley, she did not directly take part in the murder to the children. However, whether or not she took part in the killings, she was accountable for enticing all the five child victims into her car in order to please Brady (Steel, 2012). Also, she directly took part in torturing her victims before killing them. Hindley used to hire different cars which she used to lure her victims. She and Brady used to go together, Brady on a motorbike and Hindley in a rented car where she picked her victims when requested to do so by Brady. The luring incidences showed that Hindley fully participated in the killings and was able to lure small children due to her low-aggression attitude (Steel, 2012). Once she kidnapped her victims, she took them to Moor where the killings took place. Some of the victims were interdicted and forced to pose for photos others were imposed with violence before being raped by Brady (Steel, 2012). In her statement, Hindley admitted that she was not around when Brady tortured and raped the victims but she had imbedded loyalty and submissiveness to her lover which was one reason why she was involved in the murders (BBC News, 2002). From the piece of evidence from the tape recording presented in the court sessions, the torture imposed on one of the victims called Ann Downey was done in the absence of Brady. According to the Criminal Code of Western Australia, Myra Hindley committed wilful murder which is considered unlawful in Australia which carries life imprisonment (Lilly, Cullen and Ball, 2011). In addition, Hindley also took part in kidnapping and rape of the victims. Therefore, she took part in indirect penetrative sexual offense by allowing Brady to rap her victims. From the murders committed by Myer Hindley it was evident that she craved excitement. This can be confirmed from her cancellation of engagement to his then fiancé Ronnie Sinclair years earlier. Myer had aggressive behaviour which was sexually linked to Brady. In addition, her sadistic behaviour was witnessed in her physically aggression and torture towards the child victims (Steel, 2012). It was highlighted that Hindley satisfied her desire for excitement through murder of innocent victims without any empathy. In addition, Hindley showed psychopathy behaviour. Some characteristics of psychopathy behaviour include lack of remorse for offending, failure to learn, impulsiveness and egocentricity. Hindley showed all these characteristics. 3.0 History of the Offender 3.1 Life Event from Childhood from Adulthood Myra Hindley was born in Crumpsall in 1942 by parent Nellie and Bob Hindley. Myra lived solemnly with the mother since her dad was in the Parachute Regiment and took part in Second World War Myra and the mother lived with their grandmother and she used to spend most of her time with the grandmother when the mother went to work (Steel, 2012). The father returned after three years and bought a new home. The house was in poor condition and was located around working class society. According to Lee (2010), poverty is a huge predator of adolescent violence. There poverty may be one of the reasons Hindley developed psychopathy behaviour. However, there were other influences that led to her developing violent behaviour (Steel, 2012). When Myra Hindley was five, her sister was born which made their lives even harder. The stress attributed to poverty is said to have diminished Hindley parents’ ability for supportive and consistent parenting. It was difficult for the parents to provide the needs of their children and they decided to send Myra back to her grandmother. Myra was more comfortable with her grandmother but there was no time for her to develop a close relationship with the father. From the warzone, it was difficult for Hindley father to get back to his normal routine. He spends most of his time in a local bar drinking. According to Lilly, Cullen and Ball (2011), parenting practices may affect the development of children and may lead to unwanted characteristics and behaviours. Parenting had huge impacts on Hindley. She experienced rage from the father who beat her when he was drunk. What she knew about her father was that he brutalised her. The father was an authoritarian and used violence as a way of shaping his children (Steel, 2012). In her growth, Myra not only experienced violence but was rewarded when she imposed it on others. In addition, Myra Hindley learnt to suppress her emotions and rage as his father was considered unemotional person (Steel, 2012). She grew up to be tough and strong and there were some instance where she fought with boys and children around her feared her. Also, Myra was poor at attending school and sometimes she would stay at home and skip school. However, she was able to perform really well as her IQ was considered high. Her grandmother encouraged her to skip school as she covered it with an illness when the school wanted to know her whereabouts (Steel, 2012). During her holidays she used to take babysitter jobs where she showed genuine love and care for children. In her teenage years, his friend drowned and died and she took it personally and fluctuated between hysteria and depression. During this period, her school performance deteriorated and she decided to leave school and find employment (Edge, 2008) When Hindley was 17, she got engaged to Ronnie Sinclair but after few months of dating she called it quits since she considered the relationship bring. In 1961, in her employment she met Brady and was infatuated with him and poured her feelings in her diary about her fascinations (Edge, 2008). After several months, the two started dating. They had a very weird relationship as Brady encouraged Hindley to read books by people like Hitler and Sade. Her meeting with Brady changed her completely. She was secretive towards her family and changed her fashion style by wearing short skirts and high boots. Her new association with Brady transformed her life completely (Edge, 2008). 3.2Triggers of Offending Behaviour One life event that triggered Myra Hindley to commit her offences was poverty (White and Parrone, 2010). Hindley came from a poor family that was unable to provide her needs as a child. They lived in a house that was in a poor condition. This led to her being taken to live with the grandmother. Her parents were not able to offer constant support and psychological needs due to poverty (White and Parrone, 2010). Poverty was a strong enabler of violent behaviour that she had. Although she did well in school, partially due to poverty, she ended up dropping out of school and finding employment. After her sister was born life became harder. The decision made by the parents for her to go live with the grandmother may have made her feel betrayed and furious (Edge, 2008). Hindley did not have a good relationship with the father. His father was not around during her growth and when she went to live with the grandmother, she did not have a chance to create a relationship with the father. In addition, his father was authoritative and was considered a violent and abusive father (Edge, 2008). The father was unemotional and Hindley learnt to suppress her feelings and emotions from him. Her father did not offer her the needed emotional support which may have led to her being violent. Levy and Orlans (2004), has illustrated that children who lack emotional support from their caregivers, they experience antisocial personality and violent behaviours. Therefore, Hindley experienced disruption of attachment which may have contributed to psychopathy traits. Hindley was not only detached from her family but from her friend Michael Higgins who drowned and died instantly (Morrissey, 2003). The death of her friend was so emotional for her. The loss of her friend may have triggered rage and violent action. Another life event that may have led to her violent behaviour is her pursuit for excitement. Hindley wanted some excitement in her life and did not fancy a normal life (Morrissey, 2003). This was witnessed when she broke her engagement with then fiancé Ronnie Sinclair. Living a normal life was a burden to Hindley and wanted to experience some excitement in her life. This led to her taking part in kidnapping and murder of children. The experience of taking a child life brought a lot of excitement to her (Morrissey, 2003). It was reported that Hindley became obsessed by incidences that were regarded by others as recoil. Some incidences that fascinated her included a child bleeding to death after an accident, a dog run over on a railway track and a cat killed by dogs among others. She moved from one job to another looking for excitement but nothing captivated her until she met Ian Brady (Morrissey, 2003). Another trigger of violent behaviour was her association with Ian Brady. After Hindley started dating Brady, she started transforming her life. Brady used to give her some list of weird books to read by Hitler and Sade (Hawkins, 2004). The two worked as a unified front in murder small children. Hindley did whatever Brady told her due to her obsession of him. This may have contributed to her offences and violent behaviour. 4.0 Theoretical explanation of behaviour 4.1 Psychopathy Personality Theory According to Psychopathy personality theory, Psychopaths are considered to having antisocial personality disorder. Antisocial Personality Disorder involves disregard for the rights and emotions of others (Levy and Orlans, 2004). Psychopathic traits that Hindley had include social insensitivity, troublesome behaviour, manipulative traits, lack of responsibility attraction of unusual and lack of sympathy and emotions. Hindley did not give her victims a second chance and did not have sympathy for them. Lack of empathy is said to be a trait of aggressive and antisocial people. According to psychopathy theory, antisocial personality is a product of destruction relationships and disruption of attachment (Levy and Orlans, 2004). Hindley did not have a good relationship with her father and experienced violence from him. In addition, she lost a close friend which led to her behaviour. In addition, psychopathy behaviour may result from environmental factors such as poverty (Battel and Parson). Living in poverty may have contributed to the development of violent and aggressive behaviour of Hindley. 4.2 Biological Theory According to biological theory, there is a strong relationship between biology and crime. The theory illustrates that criminals and offenders are born with a predisposition (Whitman and Akutagawa, 2004). When there is pattern of offending in the family or when there is violent behaviour in the family, it is possible for one to develop it. The biological effects are strengthened when a person interacts with both the social and environmental factors (Whitman and Akutagawa, 2004). Hindley father was considered a violent individual who did not show any emotions. He inflicted violence on Hindley and her mother. This may have contributed to Hindley psychopathy behaviours. 4.3 Behavioural Theory According to behavioural theory, an individual behaviour is shaped by past experiences. An individual is able to modify his or her behaviour through conditioning. Children often observe aggressive and violent behaviour from people around them (Turvey, 2010). If an adult approves of such behaviours, the tendency to imitate intensifies. In addition, adoption of violent behaviour may result from attachment. There are two type of attachments; securely attached or insecurely attached (Turvey, 2010). Lack of secure attachment may make a child furious and he or she may develop violent behaviour. Hindley lacked secure attachment from the parents. She did not have a close relationship with the father and this meant that she did not have a safe haven which led to separation distress. 4.4 Differential Association-Reinforcement Theory Differential Association-Reinforcement is a behavioural they that highlights that non-social effect can lead to criminal behaviour. Criminal behaviour may be reinforced by a close association (Levy and Orlans, 2004). Hindley started to change when she met Brady who introduced her to reading torture and crime books. Hindley may have taken part in the murders in order to please Brady and receive the fruits of her work through sexual pleasures and attention from him. Her association with Brady contributed to her criminal behaviours. 5.0 Conclusion Myra Hindley was convicted of killing a total of five children with his lover Ian Brady as her accomplice. She admitted to the killings but campaigned for her freedom after her imprisonment. Hindley murders were attributed to her past life experiences. For instance, according to behavioural theory, an individual acquire violent behaviour through learning and past experiences. Hindley had an abusive father and lived in poverty. This led to her committing the murders. Hindley also had psychopathy behaviours such as disregard for people’s emotions, manipulative behaviour and attraction to unusual. In addition, association with Brady triggered Hindley to commit the crime since she wanted to please him. Brady was the major trigger of Hindley criminal behaviours. Also, the feeling of rejection and detachment from the parents and from the death of her friend contributed to her criminal behaviour. References Battel, R., & Parson, C. (2009). The social construction of a serial killer. Feminism and Psychology, 19(2): 267-280. BBC News. (2002). Obituary; Myra Hindley. Viewed 24th Sept. 2016 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/452614.stm Edge, S. (2008). Evil of the lady killers. Viewed 24th Sept. 2016 http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iwsearch/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1& Hawkins, C. (2004). "The Monster Body of Myra Hindley". Scan: Journal of media Arts and Culture. Macquarie University, Sydney. Lee, C. A. (2010). One Of Your Own: The Life and Death of Myra Hindley, Mainstream Publishing Levy, T., & Orlans, M. (2004). Attachment Disorder, Antisocial Personality and Violence. Annals of the American Psychotheraphy Association. 7(4): 18-23. Lilly, J. R., Cullen, F. T., & Ball, R. A. (2011). Criminological theory. Context and consequences. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Morrissey, B. (2003). When Women Kill: Questions of agency and subjectivity. London: Routledge. Steel, F. (2012). Murder on the moors: The Ian Brady and Myra Hindley story. Viewed 24th Sept. 2016 http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/moors/index_1.html Turvey, B. E. (2010). Criminal profiling: An introduction to behavioural evidence analysis. Burlington, United States: Academic Press. White, R. & Perrone, S. (2010). Crime, criminality & criminal justice. Victoria, Australia. Whitman, T. A. & Akutagawa (2004). Riddles in serial murder: A synthesis. Journal of Aggression and violent behaviour. 9(6): 693-703. Read More