Judge rules out scan for remains in back garden

THE family of Muriel McKay, who was kidnapped and murdered more than 55 years ago and whose remains have never been found, cannot perform a radar scan of a shared back garden in east London where they believe she is buried, a High Court judge has ruled.

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Ms McKay, the wealthy wife of newspaper executive Alick McKay, was kidnapped for a £1 million ransom in 1969, after being mistaken for Anna Murdoch, the then-wife of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch.

On Monday, barristers for two of her children, Ian McKay and Dianne Levinson, asked a judge to order that the homeowners of two neighbouring properties on Bethnal Green Road allow them to conduct a “ground-penetrating radar survey” of a shared back garden.

The hearing in London was told that the family now believe Ms McKay's remains are buried at the site, after new information came to light. One of the homeowners, Madeleine Higson, opposed the injunction bid, which would have stopped her and the owner of the other property, Janis Cross, from disturbing the garden.