Mary was born Sunday, May 26, 1957 in a town called Scotswood, a depressed area ofNewcastle, a city in Northumberland (which is a county North East of England). Mary’s mother was a prostitute who married a man named Billy Bell. Mary’s mother had a tendency to take off for long periods of time leaving Mary with her step dad, or other relatives.
The town she lived in was a struggling town. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for the local men to be out of work, drunk, gambling their family’s savings away, or committing petty crimes.
Saturday May 11, 1968 Mary and her next door neighbour/friend, Norma Joyce Bell (age 13, no relation), were questioned in the assault on a young boy (who was Mary’s cousin) named John G.
John (who was only 3 years old) was found behind some sheds injured and bleeding from the head. The girls both gave the same statement (which was obviously false) that they couldn’t figure how John had gotten behind the sheds and that they had never taken him there to play.
Sunday, May 12, 1968, the day after 3 year old John G. was found injured, the cops were called out to look into an incident where Mary and Nora would be questioned yet again.
One of the neighbourhood women, Mrs. Peterson, was the one who called the cops. She told the cops that between 3pm and 5pm at a local sandpit, that either Mary or Norma had tried to strangle her daughter Pauline (7 years old), and two of her friends Cindy Hepple (6 years old) and Susan Cornish (6 years old).
Norma gave her statement: “Mary put both hands round the girl's (Cindy's) throat and squeezed. The girl started to go purple. I told Mary to stop, but she wouldn't. She did this for a while and then she put her hands round Pauline's throat and she started to go purple as well. Both Pauline and the other girl were crying.”….“Another girl, Susan Cornish, came up and Mary did the same to her. Susan had some rock (sweet rock) and Mary took this off her. I said to Mary, 'There's be trouble,' and then Mary asked me if I wanted some rock. I said 'Yes,' and had a piece from her. I then ran off and left Mary, I am not friends with her now.”
Mary’s statement was different from Norma’s. She never mentioned anything about the three girls. She mentioned in her statement: “…I went behind the shed to play. When I was behind the shed I heard Pauline scream. I came up from behind the shed and saw Pauline running away towards the fence. She was holding her throat and screaming. I asked Norma what happened and she said that Pauline had fallen and hurt her throat on the edge of the sandpit…”
The police looked into the statements and other inquiries and decided not to take any actions other than informing the Children’s Department and letting the girls know what will happen in future incidents.
Martin Brown was found dead just after 3pm on Saturday, May 25, 1968, a day before Mary’s 11th birthday. He was found in a back bedroom in a run down abandoned house bleeding and drooling from the mouth.
Martin was seen just a few minutes earlier buying candy and talking with construction workers near the abandoned house. He was found by three boys looking for scrap wood to make a dovecote (a structure that small birds live in). When they found Martin’s body they freaked out and called out to the construction workers who ran in and tried to save him. They were too late.
Just at that moment Mary and Norma were on their way into the building when they were stopped and told to go away. Mary was bringing Norma to the house to show her that she had killed Martin. When the girls were told to leave they went straight to Martin’s aunt and told her there was an accident and that Martin might be involved. They said there was blood all over, and Mary told Martin’s aunt she would take her to the scene.
The Criminal Investigation Department was never called in because upon further investigation, the police found an empty bottle of Aspirin near Martin’s body, no strangulation marks or any other marks of foul play and ruled it an accidental death
The community was outraged and marched and protested about the large amount of abandoned buildings in the area and the amount of dangers they presented.
Mary and Norma would ask Martin’s aunt creepy questions like: “Do you miss Martin?”...”Do you cry for him?”... ”Does June Miss him?”. June being Martin’s mother. When they would ask these questions they would have big grins on their faces as if they were taunting the grieving aunt. She had enough one day and told them to go away and never come back.
On another day Mary had knocked at June Brown’s (Martin’s mother) door. June answered and Mary had requested to see Martin. June replied, “No, pet, Martin is dead” Mary then stated “Oh I know he’s dead. I wanted to see him in his coffin.”. Mary then again had a huge grin on her face. June then was shocked by the morbid attitude displayed by Mary and she slammed the door in Mary’s face.
On Sunday, May 26, 1968, Mary’s 11th birthday, she was at Norma’s house playing with Norma’s sister Susan (11 years old). All of a sudden Susan’s dad heard her screaming and ran into the room to find Mary’s hands wrapped around Susan’s neck. Susan’s dad recalled: “I chopped Mary’s hands away and gave her a clip on the shoulder.” Mary then threatened to tell her father but nothing ever came of it.
On Monday, May 27, 1968 in the early hours of the morning, teachers were arriving at the Day Nursery nearby were shocked to find the place was broken into and ripped apart. The suspects had broken in through the roof by removing slats on the roof.
There were 4 notes found and read as follows:
“I murder so THAT I may come back”
“fuch 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 FANNYAND and auld Faggot you Srcews”
The police disregarded them and filed them as a sick joke. So nothing was done about the notes. Mary would admit later that she had written the 4 letters as a joke.
After that break in, the school installed a security system.
Friday, May 31, 1968 the alarm went off at the Day Nursery. Mary and Norma were caught. They denied having anything to do with the previous break in (although they did or at least Mary). They were let go to their parent’s custody till their court date.
A week later Mary accosted Norma near the Nurseries sandpit. A young boy claimed to have seen Mary scratch and kick in the eye.
Mary visited Brian Howe’s home near the end of July, just before Brian’s murder. The subject of Martin Brown’s murder was brought up and Mary chimed in, “I know something about Norma that will get here put away.” The Howe’s were interested in what she had to say. “Norma put her hands on a boy’s throat.” she said, “It was Martin Brown. She pressed and he just dropped.” Mary had called Norma’s mom later that day to apologize for her comments.
Wednesday, July 31, 1968 a search for 3 year old Brian Howe was started when Brian’s sister Pat, who was taking care of the family because their mother left, couldn’t find Brian.
Mary and Norma offered to help find Brian. Mary and Norma as well as other locals all went to the area where the local kids played among the construction materials, old cars and various other debris.
Mary suggested that Brian might be playing behind a pile of cement blocks. Pat said that he can’t be because he never plays there. Mary was trying to make Pat find her dead brother’s body.
When they couldn’t find Brian the police were called in to search for him. 11:10 pm Brian’s body was found in the very place Mary was trying to get Pat to look in. His body was found covered in grass and purple weeds, and had visible signs on his neck of strangulation. Near his body they found a pair of broken scissors. He had stab wounds on his thighs, his genitals were partly skinned, and clumps of his hair were cut off. They found an ‘M’ that had been carved on his belly. It was only visible days later, but it looked like someone had originally carved an ‘N’ but it looked as if someone else added an extra mark to turn it into an ‘M’. The cuts and puncture marks on his body were found to be sort of adventurous…playful and vicious. It pointed to a child that fit the profile of their suspect.
24 hours had passed and the town of Scotswood had been flooded with C.I.D. officers and children were sent home with questionnaires. Mary and Norma also received a questionnaire and both admitted to have spent the better part of that day together. Their statements didn’t match up and they changed their statements twice. Mary claimed that she had seen an 8 year old boy playing with Brian. She said she saw him hit Brian for no reason and said he was playing with a pair of silver coloured scissors that had something wrong with them. No indication of scissors being found near the body was made public, no one knew outside of the police about the scissors.
The Chief Inspector on the case stated, “By the night of Friday, August 2 we had pretty well eliminated everybody except for Mary and Norma Bell, it had to be them or one of them.”
Detective Constable Thompson went to Norma’s house Sunday, August 4 to question her about the inconsistencies of her statement. Norma all of a sudden broke down and started to cry. She asked to speak to the detective without her father around. They stepped aside and she told the detective she was at Delaval Road with Mary and her dog, and that Mary had taken her to see Brian. She later told Chief Inspector Dobson that she went with Mary to the blocks that day, when they were walking around she tripped on something, looked down and saw Brian’s head covered with grass. She stated that Mary told her: “I squeezed his neck and pushed up his lungs. That’s how you kill them. Keep your nose dry and don’t tell anybody.”
Norma said Brian’s lips were purple and Mary ran here fingers on his lips. She said Mary then showed her a razor and lifted Brian’s shirt to reveal tiny cuts she had made on Brian’s belly. Norma then told Dobson that Mary hid the razor under the blocks and told her not to tell or she (Mary) would get in trouble.
The Chief Inspector then took Norma to the blocks and Norma reached under and pulled out a tiny Gillette razor blade. They took Norma to the police station and had her write a formal statement.
Monday, August 5, 1968, 12:15 am….Mary Bell is woken from her sleep and brought down to the station for questioning. Three hours of interrogation and she was sticking to her story of not knowing anything.
Wednesday, August 7, Brian’s family were burying little Brian. Mary was at this point not charged with anything. The Chief Inspector witnessed Mary laughing and rubbing her hands as Brian’s coffin was being brought out of the Howe’s house.
4:30 pm that same day Chief Inspector Dobson sent a policewoman to get Mary. She was pale, stressed and not wanting to cooperate. She finally agreed to give a statement. She claimed that it was Norma who killed Brian. She stated: “She (Norma) started to feel up and down his neck. She squeezed it hard, you could tell it was hard because her fingertips were going white. Brian was struggling, and I was pulling her shoulders, but she went mad… His face was all white and bluey, and his eyes were open… Norma covered him and I said, ‘Norma, I’ve got nothing to do with this. I should tell on you but I’ll not.”
Thursday, December 5, 1968, Mary and Norma’s trial for the murders of Martin Brown and Brian Howe’s murder started and lasted 9 days.
Mary and Norma stuck to their stories that it was the other that committed the murders. Norma’s behaviour and attitude in the court room made her story more believable.
Dr. Robert Orton, who had already seen Mary on 2 different occasions, said that Mary suffered from a psychopathic personality, and defined some symptoms as a lack of feeling, a liability to act on impulse, aggression, and a lack of remorse.
Norma was cleared on the charges on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The jury found Mary guilty of Manslaughter on Martin Brown and Brian Howe. Judge Justice Cusack sentenced Mary to detention for life in a detention center. Over the years Mary’s case would be reviewed and if at any time the psychiatrists think Mary has been cured of her psychopathic personality. Wednesday, May 14, 1980, at the age of 23, Mary was finally released from the detention center.
Wednesday, May 21, 2003, now at age 46, was granted lifelong anonymity. Mary Bell and her daughter can now live their lives in secret without fear of any vigilante justice. All though the victims families are outraged and disgusted that a killer be allowed such anonymity.
All of our Serial Killer Magazines and books are massive, perfect bound editions. These are not the kind of flimsy magazines or tiny paperback novels that you are accustomed to. These are more like giant, professionally produced graphic novels.
We are happy to say that the Serial Killer Trading Cards are back! This 90 card set features the artwork of 15 noted true crime artists and will come with a numbered, signed certificate of authenticity for each set. get yours now before they are gone forever.
SERIAL KILLER MAGAZINE is an official release of the talented artists and writers at SerialKillerCalendar.com. It is chock full of artwork, rare documents, FBI files and in depth articles regarding serial murder. It is also packed with unusual trivia, exclusive interviews with the both killers and experts in the field and more information that any other resource available to date. Although the magazine takes this subject very seriously and in no way attempts to glorify the crimes describe in it, it also provides a unique collection of rare treats (including mini biographical comics, crossword puzzles and trivia quizzes). This is truly a one of a kind collectors item for anyone interested in the macabre world of true crime, prison art or the strange world of murderabelia.
All of our Serial Killer books are massive, 8.5" x 11" perfect bound editions. These are not the kind of tiny paperback novels that you are accustomed to. These are more like giant, professionally produced graphic novels.
We are now looking for artists, writers and interviewers to take part in the world famous Serial Killer Magazine. If you are interested in joining our team, contact us at MADHATTERDESIGN@GMAIL.COM
