Sefton Council release statement regarding the cremation of Ian Brady

Moors Murderer Ian Brady's ashes have been disposed of at sea in the middle of the night after a cremation last week, it has been revealed.

The child killer, who died in May aged 79 , was cremated without ceremony.

It comes after a court ruling to ensure the disposal of his body did not cause "offence and distress" to his victims' families.

Brady, along with Myra Hindley, tortured and murdered five children in the 1960s. She died in prison in 2002.

The serial killer's body was collected from Royal Liverpool Hospital's mortuary by a council official at about 21:00 BST on Wednesday October 25, documents show.

Under police escort the corpse was taken to Southport Crematorium where the cremation began at 22:00 BST, with no music or flowers allowed.

Brady's ashes were then placed in a weighted biodegradable urn, driven to Liverpool Marina and dispatched at sea at 02:30 BST.

Sefton Council have released this statement regarding his cremation:

Margaret Carney, Sefton Council’s Chief Executive, said: “The High Court ordered us to cremate the remains of Ian Brady because he died within the Sefton borough boundary.

 “In complying with this Order from the High Court, the cremation took place at Southport Crematorium outside normal operating hours and no other services at the crematorium were affected.

 “The coffin did not enter any public area and was cremated in a separate standby cremator which was professionally cleaned afterwards.

 “Following cremation, the ashes were immediately returned to the administrator of the estate and not disposed of anywhere in the borough.”