Innocence Lost

The Case of Mary Bell

Mary Bell was born on the 26th of May 1957 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland,England.

The daughter of a sex worker who gave birth to Mary at the age of only 17,it seemed life was destined to be a story of hardship and horror for Mary Bell from day one.

Mary would grow up with her mother being absent from her life very regularly due to working in Glasgow.While it is unknown who Bells father truly is,she was raised believing that a career criminal known as Billy Bell.The two (Marys mother Betty and Bill) were married while Mary was still an infant but there are reports that they had become an item after the birth of Mary.

Perhaps Mary would have went on to live a far different life had her mother been a bit more absent from her childhood.A victim of abuse from the hands of her own mother,Mary would have several failed attempts on her life while she was an infant.From "falling"out the window of their home to being fed sleeping pills as candy,it seemed that that life couldn't be much worse for Mary.

For the young Mary this would unfortunately be proven wrong when at only four years old her mother started letting her customers abuse Mary for some extra cash.

With such a twisted childhood it is no real surprise that Mary would go on to commit some of the most heinous and talked about crimes in English history.

A four year old boy named Martin Brown would be the first to suffer at the hands of Mary Bell.

Just one day before Bell would turn eleven,she would take Martins life by strangulation inside an abandoned house on May 25th 1968.

In a strange twist,Norma Joyce Bell,a friend of Mary's who shared a last name by pure coincidence,would become an accomplice in the second murder Mary would commit. 

Before the two would carry out the terrible act they would break into a nursery in Scotswood and vandalize it.Mary would even scrawl on the walls of the nursery that she was the killer of Martin Brown.

Only two months removed from her first murder,on July 31st both Mary and Norma would lure three year old Brian Howe to the same area that the nursery was part of and strangler him to death.

On top of the strangulation,Mary would return to the scene to cut Brian's hair,slash his legs and penis.As if leaving a signature on a piece of art,Mary would carve the letter M into his chest.

It didn't take police long to pin the crime on the two girls and by the end of 1968 the court had reached a verdict.On December 17th Norma was acquitted for her part in the monstrous act, Mary however,would not be so lucky.After a psychiatrist appointed by the court said they felt Mary posed a grave risk to other children and displayed classic symptoms of a psychopathy,Mary was found guilty of manslaughter.Mary was sent to Red Bank secure unit in Newton-Le-Willlows and would be held at Her Majesty's pleasure,meaning she received no set jail time.

After 12 years in various institutions Mary was released at 23 years old in 1980.Upon her release Mary was given a new identity and was free to start a new life,putting the past 23 years behind her. 

It appears that life inside these institutions taught Mary a lesson that most learn from their parents as children,she seemed to finally learn about morals and right and wrong.

Four years would pass in complete normality and on May 25th (ironically the same date she committed her first murder) 1984 Mary would give birth to a baby girl.

Since then,the only times Mary has been mentioned in press has been times when she fought to protect her daughters anonymity in 1998 and again in 2003. The latter being due to the fact that her daughter was only protected by law until her 18th birthday.Bell would succeed in a High Court battle to protect both her and more importantly her daughters true identity on May 21st that year.

It seems that the case of Mary Bell,as disturbing and horrendous as it is,is proof that even those who seem like lost causes are capable of change given the chance and the right environment.It's just a shame that two young boys lost their lives for this change to occur.