Former police officer calls theatre show 'insensitive' for featuring Moors murderers

A former police officer has criticised an upcoming show at a Manchester theatre for featuring pictures of the Moors Murder killers in its posters.

Billed as a ‘new show that plunges into the depths of love twisted into terror’, Killer Couples will be held at Manchester’s Opera House on February 19 as part of a UK tour which will also feature performances in the likes of Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham and London.

Hosted by presenter and psychological therapist Emma Kenny, the show is described as looking into the 'complex psychology of couples who commit the unthinkable'. Promoters have said it is aimed towards true crime fans and psychology students.

But artwork promoting the show features photos of Ian Brady, Myra Hindley and Rose West - a move which has been described as ‘insensitive’ by former police officer Rod Barry.

The 78-year-old, from Congleton, served as an officer at Lancashire Constabulary for seven years from 1965 to 1972 said he became aware of the show after seeing a post on social media.

“I was just on Facebook and I saw the image of Hindley and Brady with Rose West, which is what they use in the publicity for the show,” Rod told the Manchester Evening News. “I obviously recognised them all immediately, and I just found it to be unbelievable.

“The more I looked into it and the more I found out about the show, I was just left feeling upset and angry about it. I don’t care about what the content of the show is, or how they handle it, it’s just obscene to me.”

Rod, who knew the brothers of Moors Murder victim John Kilbride, said he felt it was ‘insensitive’ for a show to be so openly promoting and ‘glamourising’ the killers in Manchester.

He said: “Approximately 15 miles away, somewhere on Saddleworth Moor