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Can you crack this serial killer’s secret code?

A criminal psychologist who spent a year exchanging letters with Ian Brady claims he used a secret 'code' to relay hidden messages to her.

Emilie Cassinelli, 30, was two years into her psychology degree at Plymouth University when she contacted the notorious Moors murderer in Ashworth Hospital in 2010.

Moors Murderer Ian Brady. Photo: AAP
Moors Murderer Ian Brady. Photo: AAP

"When I look through the letters, knowing that Brady has had his hands on them and written them, it feels eerie,” Emilie says.

"It's a strange sort of feeling to know I have the letters of a serial killer.

"When we were writing to each other, it did feel like there was a mutual acceptance between us but I don't know if he was trying to manipulate me.

"That was part of his personality, like when he'd tell the police he knew where his victims' bodies where, then get to the moors and he'd claim he'd forgotten.

Emilie Cassinelli wrote to the killer for years. Photo: Caters
Emilie Cassinelli wrote to the killer for years. Photo: Caters

The mum-of-two claims seven years on she is still unable to understand the 'eerie' code Brady created by switching between different fonts, ink colours and handwriting.

He also repeatedly underlined particular words, including 'capture' and 'captive'.

Letters written by killer Ian Brady. Photo: Caters
Letters written by killer Ian Brady. Photo: Caters

"Brady wrote in little codes to me. Still to this day I don't know what he was trying to do,” she says.

"I'd get a slip in the envelope with the letters to say the prison had read it before sending, so I got the feeling that he couldn't say what he really wanted to and that's why he was underlining certain parts.

"He'd coded it very well. After I received the letter I'd read it through and be left thinking about it for days.

"It was hard to work out. You could take it as him trying to say something else."

Ian's letters were checked by prison security. Photo: Caters
Ian's letters were checked by prison security. Photo: Caters

Now Emilie is revealing the letters to see if others can crack the code and decrypt the child killer's hidden message from beyond the grave.

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In the letters they exchanged, the killer claimed that most serial killers – himself included – "couldn't kill a mouse" and that he believed criminals were only labelled so because they were caught.

Can you crack the code? Photo: Caters
Can you crack the code? Photo: Caters

As well as trying to convey what could have been a hidden message to Emilie, he wrote extensively about his anti-Labour leanings and showed a keen interest in politics.

He'd repeatedly blame white collars, the media and politicians for 'scourging the globe' and seemingly believe his own crimes were far less than theirs.

"I'd have loved to have met him. I'm interested in how he would be with me in person, but I think he'd be just as manipulative,” Emilie says.

Ian Brady underlined random words throughout his letters. Photo: Caters
Ian Brady underlined random words throughout his letters. Photo: Caters

"He didn't think what he did was that bad. Brady constantly tried to deflect the blame from himself and felt what he'd done nothing."

"[In his letter from 29th June 2010], he says that 'capture' creates a criminal. He clearly thought the only reason he was classed as a criminal was because he was caught.

"To me, it seems he's suggesting you're only a criminal if you get caught.”

Letters from a serial killer. Photo: Caters
Letters from a serial killer. Photo: Caters

Throughout her studies, Emilie, who now plans to become a counsellor, wrote to other serial killers too, including Dennis Nilsen.

She claims the difference between Nilsen, who was never diagnosed as criminally insane, and Brady were stark, which Brady's manipulative nature and need for control coming through even his letters.

Nilsen, a serial killer who killed 12 young men in London from 1978 to 1983, is currently imprisoned at HMP Full Sutton in Yorkshire.

"Brady tried to [undermine] the work of anybody who wanted to understand his criminal behaviour. I think this was his arrogance to be honest,” she says.

"He was arrogant and patronising to me. This was the difference I could tell between a murderer and a murderer who had been told they were clinically insane.

"Brady was manipulative and showed no remorse whatsoever in his letters. If anything, he seems to be denying it."

With additional reporting by Caters News

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