McKay family not giving up search for her remains

The family of a woman, who was kidnapped and murdered 56 years ago, say they will continue to search for her remains despite a setback in the High Court.

Muriel McKay was kidnapped in 1969 and held at a farm in Hertfordshire for a £1m ransom, after being mistaken for the then-wife of tycoon Rupert Murdoch.

On Tuesday, Mr Justice Richard Smith refused permission for a survey to be conducted at the shared garden of two properties on Bethnal Green Road in east London, where it is believed she could be buried.

However, Mrs McKay's grandson Mark Dyer said they were considering further legal action.

The family wanted an injunction so they could conduct a survey of the back gardens.

Muriel McKay, the wife of newspaper executive Alick McKay, was kidnapped after she was mistaken for Anna Murdoch, the then-wife of Rupert Murdoch.

She was held at Rooks Farm in Stocking Pelham, near Bishop's Stortford, by brothers Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein, who were later convicted of her kidnapping and murder in 1970.

Last year, police spent several days digging up the grounds of the farm in a failed attempt to locate her remains.

In a new lead, 64-year-old Hayley Frais said Arthur Hosein worked with her father at the tailor's shop he ran on Bethnal Green Road.

She claims her father believed that a former Polish World War Two soldier, who he employed, brought Mrs McKay's body to the yard.

She said "there was a terrible stench" at the time, but her father was scared to go to the police as "he had a lot of dealings with the mafia, including the Kray brothers", who were notorious London gangsters.

The High Court was told police were not willing to excavate or survey the garden because it did not meet the evidential threshold, but were "receptive" if information came from any independent scan being conducted at the site.

Mr Justice Richard Smith was also critical of the family's conduct while trying to gain access to the garden, saying the "bombardment" of requests amounted to "bullying, lies and harassment".

Mr Dyer responded afterwards by saying this was a "complete exaggeration".

Later, in response to a question about the judge's comments and whether the family wanted to apologise, he said: "We don't wish anybody any harm and we would be sorry for anything we did which would have been obtuse."

Mr Dyer described the lead in Bethnal Green Road as the "queen of the pack".

Although Ms Frais is set to receive a £1m reward if the body is found, she told the BBC she was not asking for it and said it was a "moral issue rather than anything else".

Mrs McKay's daughter Diane Levinson, 84, said: "We have done a lot of work, and it has taken a lot of years now".

She said not being granted the injunction was "sad" and added: "I would like to be finished with this search".

"I feel strongly we have the best information that we have ever had in all these years since my mother disappeared.

"This is not the end. It is an ongoing saga, I am afraid."

She said the court proceedings were unnecessary and added: "I know my mother would not approve of her body being argued over in this way."

Update 15 December: This article has been updated to include Mr Justice Richard Smith's comments at the hearing. He described the family's conduct as "appalling", saying it amounted to "bullying, lies and harassment". It also has been updated to include a line from Mark Dyer in response to questions about their conduct made by the judge.

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