Moors Murders: Police boss defends Keith Bennett search

Keith Bennett, who was killed in 1964, is the only victim whose remains were not found

A police chief has defended a week-long search for the last victim of the Moors murderers after no evidence of human remains was found.

Keith Bennett, 12, was one of five children tortured and killed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in the 1960s, but his body has never been recovered.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) started searching Saddleworth Moor on 30 September after receiving a tip-off.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson said the tip "on the face of it was credible".

"We don't just disappear off with any sort of crackpot-type information", he told BBC Radio Manchester.

The new search was a result of evidence gathered across seven years by author and investigator Russell Edwards, who said he was "convinced" he had found the boy's remains.

Police said the search of the moor had seen "excavation by accredited forensic experts"

Mr Watson described it as "an unwelcome distraction because it proved not to have any validity".

But he added: "We, like everybody else of course, would do literally anything to bring a proper closure to the family of Keith Bennett.

"For us, we were hoping against hope that we could recover that little chap's remains and lay him to rest with dignity."

• Keith Bennett: The "lost" victim of the Moors Murders

• Who were the Moors murderers' victims?

• Ian Brady: The killer who showed no remorse

Keith went missing while on his way to see his grandmother in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester on 16 June, 1964.

His mother Winnie Johnson, who died in 2012, spent her life trying to locate her son's body, even taking to the moor herself, armed with a spade.

He added: "We were absolutely determined we were going to pursue whatever was told to us with all the diligence in the world because the worst thing would be not to follow it up and not to obtain the opportunity.

"But we're conscious that when we are doing that, the family are suffering."