Academy silent over Hindley show

The Royal Academy of Arts yesterday refused to say whether it will include in its forthcoming Sensation exhibition a portrait of the Moors murderer Myra Hindley made from children's handprints .

The exhibition opens on Tuesday and there has been widespread condemnation of the RA's decision to show the painting (left). Other exhibits feature nine pints of blood and dismembered limbs.

The painter Peter Coker and fellow academicians have called for the resignation of the Academy's president, Sir Philip Dowson, and other senior figures for sanctioning a show that relied on "shock tactics". An RA spokeswoman said yesterday: "We will not be making any statement until the opening of the exhibition. Things can change at the last minute."