Last Updated on June 24, 2026
Mary Flora Bell is a child killer who killed two young boys in Newcastle, England in 1968.
Mary was aged just 10 years old when she killed for the first time and 11 when she killed for a second time.
Mary strangled Martin Brown and Brian Howe and was known to non fatally strangle other young children.
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Crimes
On May 25th 1968, Mary Bell strangled 4 year old Martin Brown to death in an abandoned house.
There was an empty aspirin bottle found at the scene, close to the body.
Due to the lack of physical evidence of a crime, his death was considered an accidental death but they left cause of death open.
Days later, Mary was caught at scene of the crime.
Mary Bell and Norma Bell confessed to his murder by leaving four confession notes at the scene of a nursery that she had vandalised.
The police did not take this confession seriously as they still believed the death to be an accident.
Days later, she was caught trying to break into the building but denied they had broken in before.
On 17th December 1968, Mary and friend Norma Bell strangled 3 year old Brian Howe to death in a field.
Police reports state that he was also mutilated and Mary later returned to the scene to mutilate his body a second time.
She carved the letter M into his tummy, cut his body in various places and cut off some of his hair.
Prior to killing the two boys Mary had reportedly attacked other children.
She was said to have pushed a three year old boy off the top of an abandoned air raid shelter .
This resulted in serious injuries.
She had also strangled four young girls on two separate occasions.
Investigation
Mary acted oddly after the death of Martin Brown, asking to see his boy in the coffin.
Mary knew that Martin had been strangled, something that wasn’t released to the press.
Mary and Norma had helped search for the body of Brian Howe.
Mary had pointed out the area that Brian’s body was found in to his sister Pat.
Pat dismissed the area as somewhere to look and later that night he was found in the spot by police.
Once the police established a child was responsible for the murder of Brian it was their odd behaviour that drew the attention of the police.
Mary had become too involved with the investigation and was acting odd.
She was seen laughing at the sight of the coffin on the day of Brian’s funeral.
Norma would smile when asked about the murder.
Mary Bell was was brought in for questioning and told a tale about seeing Brian with an older boy.
She told police he hit Brian and was carrying a small pair of scissors that were broken.
The use of scissors and discovery of broken scissors was a fact the police had not released to the press.
Mary was able to describe the scissors in great detail to the police.
Only the killer or someone who was there for the killing would have known about the use of the scissors and what they looked like.
Norma Bell decided to cooperate with the police.
She blamed Mary for the killings and Mary in turn blamed Norma.
Trial and Sentencing
Mary Bell was found guilty of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility in December 1968.
The trial took 9 days and was closely covered by the media.
She sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.
Despite handwriting analysis proving that Norma wrote some of the notes and fibres from her clothing being found.
They were unable to prove she took part in the killing of Brian.
Norma was called as the first witness and pointed the finger at Mary.
When Mary was called to the stand she blamed Norma.
Norma Bell was found not guilty of all charges.
Imprisonment
Mary was deemed a danger to other children and sent to a secure unit, the Red Bank Special Unit.
Mary had been diagnosed as having psychopathic symptoms.
She was to be sent here until she was able to be moved to a prison.
She remained at Red Bank until 1973.
When she turned 16, she was moved to Moor Court open prison, where she escaped from in September 1977.
She escaped with another inmate and they were picked up by two young men.
One of the men sold his story to the tabloids claiming to have taken Mary’s virginity.
Mary was later moved to Askham Grange open prison.
Release
Mary Bell was released from prison and into a bail hostel in 1980.
She was released a few months after this after being granted parole.
Little is known about what she did after her release.
It is believed that she took work in a nursery before this was deemed an inappropriate line of work for her.
A court order was put in place to protect her identity.
A later order in 1994 was created to protect her daughters identity until she reached 18.
In 2003, Mary won her case in the High Court to have extend their anonymity to life for herself and her daughter.
Early Life
Mary Bell’s mother Betty had Mary when she was 16 years old.
After the birth, she told doctors to take her away.
In Cries Unheard: Why Children Kill: The Story of Mary Bell (AD*), Mary reveals that she was sexually abused as a child by her mother and her mothers clients.
Mary had a number of near fatal “accidents” as a child.
These accidents included falling from a window and swallowing sleeping pills.
Family members believed that her mother was trying to kill her.
Her aunt witnessed Betty trying to give her away to a stranger.
When she was five years old she witnessed the death of a friend who was run over by a bus.
Her father Billy Bell was a petty criminal, who was in and out of prison.
Where is Mary Bell Now?
Mary Bell married and had a daughter in 1984.
In 1998, reporters found the location of her family home.
She famously left the house with a sheet over her and her daughters head.
After this Mary bell and her daughters name was changed to protect their identities.
Mary’s involvement in her biography was controversial.
She received a fee for her involvement and telling her story.
The Case of Mary Bell (AD*) was perceived to have led to reporters uncovering her identity.
She was again relocated and given a new identity.
Mary Bell is a grandmother, after her daughter gave birth in 2009.
An anonymity order was granted to include her grandchild.
Mary Bell has been granted life long anonymity.
This extends to Mary Bell’s daughter and her children and to publish their identity or location is illegal.
Even if I knew, I could not tell you where to find Mary Flora Bell now.
Media
Whilst she was in prison her mother Betty sold a number of stories and poems to the tabloid press.
She also gave them letters she claimed were from Mary and made money off her now famous daughter.
Tony Blair and his government attempted to prevent the release of Cries Unheard but they were unsuccessful.
The Mary Bell Case was released in 1998 and is the best Mary Bell documentary I have seen.
It covers the killings and various interviews and is available on Youtube.
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*True Crime books are available to purchase for further reading.
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