Mary Bell

CASE BACKGROUND

Mary Bell. Circa 1968.

The Bell Household.

Original Scotswood bridge being replaced in 1968.

Mary Bell was born in Scotswood, Newcastle upon Tyne, a rundown area in the westend of the city. During the sixties Scotswood Was under a lot of construction due to a government slum clearance programme. Marys mother Betty, was a heavy drinking sex worker, who was often absent from home. Betty gave birth to Mary when she was seventeen. There are doubts as to weather Billy Bell, Betty's husband, was Marys biological father.

Scotswood train station in its heyday.

Betty Bell: Mary's mother.

Billy was a habitual criminal who was well known to police and was later even arrested for armed robbery.

Billy Bell.

MURDER TIMELINE

Norma Bell (No Relation)

May 11, 1968: A three-year-old cousin of Marys was found behind some empty sheds near a pub, he was bleeding from the head. Mary would later admit she had pushed him over a ledge.

Kids playing around Scotswood area.

May 12, 1968: Three girls were playing by the Nursery were attacked by Mary and Norma. One of the girls said that Mary "put her hands around my neck and squeezed hard, she then did the same to Susan." The police were soon called. Norma stated that "Mary went to the other girl and said, 'What happens if you choke someone, do they die?' Then she put her hands around the girl's throat and squeezed. The girl started to go purple, but wasn't killed.

Pauline: choked and fed sand. Mary also attempted to cut an ear off her.

Susan Cornish and Cindy Hellpe were also strangled untill blue in the face.

May 25, 1968: A day before her 11th birthday, Mary strangled four-year-old Martin Brown in a derelict house. She was believed to have committed the crime alone.

Martin Brown.

Derelict house where Martin Brown died.

Four days later Mary Bell appeared at the Brown's residence asking to see Martin. when Martin's mother June, explained, Martin was dead. Mary replied "Oh, I know, I want to see him in his coffin

June Richardson: Martin's mother.

Martin browns Home.

May 26, 1968: Norma Bell’s father caught Mary choking her. He slapped her face and sent her home.

Woodland day nursery.

May 27, 1968: The Day Nursery on Woodland Crescent was found ransacked, there were four scribbled notes, which read: “I murder so THAT I may come back”, “fuck of we murder watch out Fanny and Faggot”, “we did murder Martain brown Fuck of you Bastard”, “You are micey Becurse we murdered Martain Go Brown you Bete Look out THERE are Murders about By FANNY AND and auld Faggot you Srcews”

Notes left in nursery.

July 31, 1968: both girls are believed to have taken part in the strangulation of three-year-old Brian Howe, on a area of wasteland in Scotswood, which was known to locals as "the blocks".

Brian Howe.

The Howe residents in Scotswood.

Area known as " the blocks"

Brian Howes Cousin was baby sitting him the afternoon that Norma offered to take him out to play. She and Mary led him through a hole in a fence surrounding the wastland, then over a wooden rail bridge to the blocks.

Girl shows gap in fence where Mary, Norma and Brian passed through.

Police and locals searched well into the night. Mary offered to help look along with Brians mother, but instead led her all around the area on a wild goose chase.

Search for Brian Howe.

When Brian was eventually found he had an "N” cut into his abdomen, this seems to have been changed to an “M” after the fact, by another's hand. Scissors found near were also used to cut off some of his hair, scratch his legs and mutilate his genitals.

George, June and little Sharon Brown pointing to the area of the second murder.

Scissors used in mutilation.

A few days after the murder Mary's class at deleval school were given an assignment to Write a story, Mary's raised eyebrows.

The police were interested to know how Mary knew about a bottle of pills found lying next to Martins body, as it was still confidential information.

Eric Foster: Mary's teacher.

Deleval Road Primary School.

Shortly after a questionnaire about the murders was issued to the children, Mary's answers further raised eyebrows, but it was Norma who eventually broke down and confessed under questioning.

Norma Bell.

TRIAL

Mary around the time of the trial.

17 Dec Norma was acquitted, Mary was convicted of manslaughter on he grounds of diminished responsibility. Due to her diagnosis by court-appointed psychiatrists who described her as displaying "classic symptoms of psychopathy".

David Martin: Child psychologist.

Norma around the time of the trail.

The judge, Justice Cusack, described her as dangerous and said she posed a "very grave risk to other children". She was sentenced to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, effectively an indefinite sentence of imprisonment.

Assize court.

Judge, Justice Cusack.

After the conviction, her mother repeatedly sold stories to the press and often gave reporters writings she claimed to be by Mary.

Crowds gather around court hearing.

Mary and Betty.

September, 1977: Mary briefly escaped from Moor Court open prison, in order to lose her virginity. Her penalty for this was the loss of some prison privileges for a month.

Mary at the time of her escape.

Mary's re-arrest mug shots.

ANONYMITY

1980: 23-year-old Mary was released from HM Prison Askham Grange, she had served twelve years and was granted full anonymity. She allegedly lived in Tyneside for some time after her release.

Mary and her mother.

Four years later she gave birth to a daughter on 25 May 1984, Who knew nothing of her mother's past, that was, until 1998 when reporters discovered their location, buy finding a cheque issued to her, using her original name. The payment was for a book deal.

Mary, circa 1980.

21 May, 2003: Mary won a High Court battle to have her anonymity and that of her daughter extended for life. In January of 2009 the order was updated to include Bell's granddaughter, referred to in court as "Z".

1980's - 1990's

ON A PERSONAL LEVEL I was told a story by a friend around 2017. She used to do a door to door catalogue, during the nintys. She had just moved to the north east and didn't know the area very well. One day, while looking for an address she strayed into the wrong house by mistake. The place was dense with smoke, on entering she was confronted by a disgruntled woman. So she apologized and left to find the correct door. Later he was informed by the real client of whome she had just encountered..

TODAY

Comparison videos showing the area as of 2021.