In 1968, Mary Bell from Newcastle, England, at just 10 years old, committed her first murder by strangling four-year-old Martin Brown and leaving unsettling confession notes for his family. Two months later, she killed and mutilated three-year-old Brian Howe, BBC reported.
Before these horrific acts, Mary attempted to strangle several other children and expressed in her notes a desire to continue killing. However, her spree was cut short when she was arrested by the police.
Despite committing these crimes at such a young age, Mary Bell was released from prison at 23 years old after serving a 12-year sentence for the killings. Since then, she has lived freely.
Born on May 26, 1957, to Betty McCrickett, a 16-year-old sex worker who reportedly expressed little affection for her daughter upon birth, Mary's early life was marked by neglect and abuse. Betty's frequent absences on "business" trips provided brief respites from the mistreatment Mary endured in her mother's presence.
Accounts suggest Betty tried to give Mary away to an adoptive mother unsuccessfully, and Mary was often involved in mysterious accidents, leading some to speculate about neglect or potential Munchausen syndrome by proxy from her mother.
Mary's troubled upbringing seemed to foreshadow her violent behaviour. By age 10, she displayed withdrawn, manipulative tendencies, teetering on the brink of violence.
In the weeks leading up to her first murder, Mary exhibited increasingly strange behaviour. On May 11, 1968, she was playing with a three-year-old boy who suffered a serious fall from an air-raid shelter, initially considered an accident by his parents. The following day, reports emerged of Mary attempting to strangle three young girls, resulting in a police interview and warning but no charges.
On May 25, the day before her 11th birthday, Mary killed Martin Brown by strangulation in an abandoned house in Scotswood, England. She later returned to the scene with a friend, Norma Bell (no relation), only to find two local boys had already discovered the body.
Following Martin's death, Mary showed up at his home, asking to see him in his coffin, revealing her unsettling knowledge of his death. She and Norma also vandalized a nursery school, leaving notes claiming responsibility for Martin's death and threatening future killings, which were dismissed as a prank by police.
Days later, Mary and Norma were caught outside the school but were released without charge. Mary's claims of Martin's murder were initially dismissed as attention-seeking until another young boy, Brian Howe, was found dead on July 31, 1968. Mary and Norma had strangled and mutilated him.
During her trial, Mary Bell's actions were described as driven "solely for the pleasure and excitement of killing," leading to her conviction for manslaughter due to diagnosed psychopathic tendencies. Norma Bell, considered an unwitting participant, was acquitted.
Given her dangerous nature and the threat she posed to children, Mary Bell was sentenced to indefinite imprisonment, termed "at Her Majesty's pleasure," reflecting the severity of her crimes.
