Moors murderer Ian Brady 'on brink of death'

'He is gravely ill and everyone is prepared for him dying'

Moors murderer Ian Brady at the time of his arrest in 1964 (PA)

The Moors murderer Ian Brady is reportedly on the brink of death and receiving end-of-life care for terminal cancer.

The 79-year-old killer said in December he was suffering from a lung and chest condition.

Nurses are treating Brady – who was jailed for three murders in the 1960s – at the secure Ashworth Hospital in Merseyside, The Sun reported. BBC News separately reported that Brady had been seriously ill for some time and was being cared for by specially-trained nurses.

A source told the newspaper: “He is gravely ill and everyone there is prepared for him dying. ... Despite who he is and what he has done, they are being professional and trying to make him as comfortable as possible.”

Brady and his then-girlfriend Myra Hindley tortured and murdered their victims between 1962 and 1965, burying some of the bodies on Saddleworth Moor, near Oldham. Brady has never revealed the location of the remains of Keith Benner, who was 12 when he was killed.

Hindley and Brady were jailed for life in 1966. Hindley died aged 60 in 2002.

The killer has been living in the Merseyside hospital since he was diagnosed as a psychopath in 1985.

Brady has been on suicide watch while at the facility.