Mary Bell

A three-year old with fair hair named Brian was missing and Mary Bell asked his sister Pat if she was looking for Brian. Brian Howe usually played close to home and so Mary and her best friend Norma offered to help search for him. They led Pat through the neighborhood looking all about, however, they already knew where Brian was. They crossed over the railroad tracks to the industrial area where the kids of Scotswood played among construction material, old cars and dangerous wreckage. Brian's sister Pat was quite worried because only a few weeks ago little Martin Brown had been found dead inside a condemned house. Mary pointed to some concrete blocks and suggested they look behind them. Mary's friend Norma said that Brian never goes there. This time, however, Brian lay dead between the blocks and Mary wanted Pat to discover her dead brother's body but Pat decided to leave. That night the Newcastle Police found Brian's body covered with grass and purple weeds. He had been strangled and nearby was a pair of scissors. On his thighs were puncture marks and his genitals had been partially skinned. Clumps of the boy's hair had been cut away. On Brian's belly was found an M engraved with a razor blade which became apparent a few days later.

This was the summer of 1968. Scotswood is an economically depressed community 275 miles north of London, England and that summer everyone was in a panic. Police descended upon the community interviewing kids between the ages of 3 and 15. Adults began to wonder if Martin Brown's supposed accident had also been murder. Among the children that seemed suspicious to the investigators were 11 year old Mary Bell and 13 year old Norma Bell (there was no relation between the girls). Mary was evasive and acted strange and Norma was excited by the murder. As the investigation closed in on Mary she suddenly remembered an 8 year old boy being with Brian on the day he died. However she implicated herself because she knew about the scissors and this had been kept as confidential evidence. It was becoming obvious the either Mary or Norma was the killer. On August 7th Brain Howe was buried. When the boy's coffin was brought from his house Detective Dobson saw Mary standing in front of the Howe house laughing and rubbing her hands.

Before Brian's funeral Detective Dobson questioned Norma once again. She now said that Mary had told her that she had killed Brian and brought her to see the body behind the blocks. Mary then told her that she had squeezed his neck and pushed up his lungs. She also told her not to tell anyone. When Norma saw the body she knew right away that the boy was dead and Mary told her that she had enjoyed doing it. That night Norma was taken to the police station to give an official statement. Norma's story shocked the police and they picked up Mary that very night. Mary was a difficult girl. She told the police that Norma was a liar and always tried to get her into trouble.

Mary's statement - Brian had been in his front yard when she and Norma were walking by. They had walked past him when Norma said, "Are you coming to the shop Brian?" and I said, "Norma you've got no money how can you go to the shop?" Then little Brian followed us and Norma got him to walk in front of us. We went down Crosshill Road. There was a colored boy and Norma tried to start a fight with him. The boy's big brother came out and hit her. When we were by Dixon's shop we climbed over the railings and went by the railroad. I asked Norma where she was going and she said to the little pool where the tadpoles are. When we got there, there was a big, long tank with a big round hole and little holes round it. The Norma told Brian to go inside because a lady was coming with boxes of sweets. We all got inside and Brian started crying. Norma started squeezing his throat. Then she said this isn't where the lady comes it's over there, by the big blocks. When we got over by the blocks Norma told Brian to lay down by them. Then she told him to put up his neck and he did and she started to squeeze his neck hard. Brian was struggling and I was pulling her by the shoulders and she screamed at me. By this time she had banged Brain's head on some wood because he was lying senseless. His face was all white and bluish and his eyes were open. Then Norma covered him up. A sort of Lassie dog turned up and we were taking it home. Norma was acting funny and making faces. She said this is the first but not the last. I took Lassie and put her down over the railway. We went up Crosswood Road and Norma went into the house and came out with a pair of scissors. She told me to go and get a pen but I wouldn't go. She had a razor blade and we returned to the blocks. Norma first cut his hair and then tried to cut his leg and ear with the razor blade. A man was coming down the railway bank with a little girl. I walked away and Norma hid the razor blade under a block. She left the scissors beside him. Afterwards we went home. Later we helped Pat look for Brian and Norma convinced her that Brian never went behind the blocks. Later on Brian was found and Norma considered running away but I didn't want to go.

Detective Bell knew that Mary's statement meant to put the blame on Norma and he formally charged her with the murder of Brian Howe. Afterwards he arrested Norma. The girls were incarcerated at the Newcastle West End police station. Investigators now looked into the mysterious death of Martin Brown. Even before Martin's death other children were being hurt by Mary. On May 11, 1968 a three-year-old boy was found behind some empty sheds near a pub bleeding from the head. He was found by Norma Bell and Mary Bell. He was a cousin of Mary's. Apparently he had fallen off a ledge, landing several feet below. The following day, three girls who were playing by the Nursery were attacked by Mary with Norma nearby. One of the girls said that Mary had put her hands around her neck and squeezed hard and then did the same to another girl Susan. The police were called and Norma said that Mary had gone over to the other girl and had asked what would happen it you choked someone would they die? Then she put both hands around the girls neck and squeezed. According to the official report on May 15 the girls Norma and Mary were warned as to their future conduct and ten days later Martin Brown was killed.

Martin Brown was discovered at 3:30 in the afternoon lying on the floor of a boarded-up house. Three boys looking for some scrap wood found the boy lying by the window with blood and saliva trickling down the side of his cheek and chin. They called to the construction workers outside who remembered giving little Martin some biscuits earlier that day. The workers hurried over and tried to revive the boy but he was already dead. One of the boys noticed Mary and Norma coming toward the house. Mary wanted to show her friend that she had killed Martin but were told to go away. The girls then went to find Martin's aunt to tell her that there had been an accident. Strangely the police found no signs of violence. There were no visible strangulation marks and therefore it was considered an accident.

Martin's mother June Brown found Mary at her door one day. Mary asked to see Martin and June told her he was dead. To which Mary replied, "Oh I know he's dead. I wanted to see him in his coffin." Having said this she grinned and June slammed the door on her. On the Sunday following Martin's death Mary celebrated her 11th birthday by trying to throttle Norma Bell's younger sister. Norma's father interrupted the attack. On Monday morning May 27th the teachers at the Day Nursery on Woodlands Crescent at the end of Whitehouse Road arrived and found the school ransacked. School supplies were strewn about and cleaning material splattered on the floor. Four disturbing scribbled noted were found. One of the notes said "I murder so THAT I may come back" the others indicated that the one who had written the notes also had murdered Martin Brown. The police took the notes and because of the scribbles and nonsense written filed them away as a sick joke. The nursery installed an alarm system.

The first night in their small jail cell in Newcastle West End police station the girls were restless. They kept shouting at each other through the doors. During the time Mary was incarcerated the women guards got to know her better and Mary would say things like, "I like hurting little things that can't fight back" and said that she would like to be a nurse because then she could stick needles into people and she liked hurting people. Perhaps Mary's parents were at fault but she would not talk about it. Her father, Billy Bell had lived with the family but the children (Mary and her younger brother and sister) were instructed to call him "uncle" so that their mother could collect government assistance. Bill Bell was a thief and the mother Betty Bell was a prostitute who was often away in Glasgow on "business". Psychiatrist Dr. Orton said of Mary that he had never met one as intelligent, as manipulative, or as dangerous.

Mary Bell and Norma Bell were brought to trail for the murders of Martin Brown and Brian Howe at the Newcastle Assizes Moothall on December 5, 1968. The trail would last 9 days. Prosecutor Rudolph Lyons opened the trail recounting the suspicious behavior of both girls at the scene of Martin's death, how they had asked the family morbid questions and how they had vandalized the Nursery the next day, It had also been discovered through handwriting analysis that Norma had written the "I murder so that I may come back" note.

Mary's family was present at the trial. Her mother Betty disrupted the proceedings by wailing and sobbing while her long blond wig was slipping off her head. She then stormed out of the trail but reappeared moments later. Her father Billy Bell sat quietly ignoring his wife's hysterics.

Norma was the first to take the stand. Her defense lawyer R.P. Smith asked her about the day Martin Brown was murdered. She recalled that Mary had poked her head through the fence (the girls were next door neighbors) and told her that there had been an accident. She then took her to the abandoned house where Martin's body had just been discovered. Norma also testified that Mary had shown her how little boys or girls could be killed. On the sixth day Mary took the stand. When she was asked why she had wanted to see Martin Brown in his coffin she said that it was done on a dare. The notes left at the Nursery were written by one girl then the other but Mary said it was Norma's idea to take them to the Nursery. Mary also insisted that Norma wanted to "get put away" and had asked Mary to run away with her When Mary was asked why Norma wanted to run away she answered, "Because she could kill the little ones, that's why." And with her voice getting shriller, "and run away from the police."

Due to disruptions the judge prohibited contact between the two girls during the trail. Both of them denied any responsibility for Martin Brown but agreed that they were with Brian on the day he died. Mary told the court that a maniacal Norma had strangled Brian. Norma however said that Mary told Brian to lay down and then started to hurt him. She demonstrated how Mary pinched his nose. Mary then told Norma to take over because her hands were getting tired and Norma in tears left while Brian was still alive.

After the girls had testified the defense called the psychiatrists who had examined Mary. Dr. Robert Orton testified that he felt the girl was suffering from psychopathic personality demonstrated by a lack of feeling quality to other humans and a liability to act on impulse and without thought. During the closing arguments Mary was looked upon as a fiend and Norma herself as a victim. It took the jury under four hours to come to a conclusion. The verdict - Norma was found "not guilty" and Mary was found "guilty of manslaughter because of diminished responsibility" in both Martin's and Brian's death. Justice Cusack pronounced a sentence of "detention for life" while Mary cried. Norma Bell was later given three years probation for breaking and entering the Woodlands Crescent Nursery and placed under psychiatric supervision.

Mary Bell was released from custody in 1980 having served 12 years and was granted anonymity to start a new life (under a new name) with her daughter who was born in 1984. For a while Bell lived in Cumberlow in South Norwood. The daughter didn't know about her mother's past until Bell's location was discovered by reporters and they had to flee. The daughter's anonymity was originally protected until she reached the age of 18. However on May 21, 2003 Mary Bell won a High Court battle to have her own anonymity and that of her daughter extended for life.