AINSWORTH playwright Sheila McAnulty has defended a controversial play she has written about Moors murderer Myra Hindley.

"Like everyone else, I believe Hindley was evil and I am definitely not trying to exploit the situation or glorify her," said Mrs McAnulty, who has written the 40-minute, one-woman play as part of her studies at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester.

The monologue, which will be performed in Manchester next month by actress Joanne Fisher, examines the relationship between Hindley and her lover Ian Brady, who committed five notorious child murders during the 1960s.

It is seen purely through Hindley's eyes and asks whether she was the victim of a very evil and manipulative man, or whether her obsession with him brought out the evil in her.

Mrs McAnulty, who left her job as a lecturer in drama and theatre studies at Bury College last year to concentrate on writing full-time, said: "It's bound to stir up some controversy. I believe people are interested in Hindley and it's still a big concern that she was able to do what she did five times and get away with it.

"None of the victims are mentioned by name in the play and the murders themselves are hardly touched upon. The real core of the play is Hindley's relationship with Ian Brady and how an apparently normal young woman became a murderess."

The play will be performed at the Taurus Bar in Canal Street, Manchester, on February 2, 4 and 5. Tickets cost £4 and profits would be used to take the show on tour.

Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust, and a spokesman for the victims' families, said: "The families of Hindley's victims just want to get on with their lives. Hindley's crimes took place in 1963 and bringing it up time and again doesn't help them at all."

But Mrs McAnulty denied she is an apologist for Hindley.

"Anything that stirs up memories of these crimes will obviously be very difficult, but I'm not excusing anything Hindley did at all and I've not done this to generate publicity for myself."