Muriel McKay: Family comes face-to-face with grandmother's killer

The family of a woman murdered more than 50 years ago has met her killer in an attempt to find her buried body.

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

Although her body was never found, Arthur Hosein and his brother Nizamodeen were jailed for life for Ms McKay's kidnap and murder.

Her daughter and grandson have met with Nizamodeen Hosein in Trinidad.

Mark Randolph Dyer, Muriel's grandson, told the BBC the meeting was "a great success".

The Metropolitan Police said it remained in contact with Ms McKay's family and "will review any new information".

Ms McKay was the wife of Mr Murdoch's deputy Alick McKay when she was abducted from her home in London on 29 December 1969.

Brothers Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein were convicted of her kidnap and murder, but while Arthur died in prison in 2009, Nizamodeen is alive in Trinidad and Tobago, to which he was deported after serving his sentence.

Dianne McKay, 83, has waited years for answers about her mother's whereabouts and the four-hour long meeting on Saturday was both "shocking in many ways and wonderful", Mr Dyer, 59, said.

He said the meeting had left him "lost for words".

"He hugged my mother; he was overcome with emotion," Mr Dyer said.

"He actually admitted that sometimes in prison he wanted to tell my mother and it never happened.

"He genuinely is sorry and he genuinely wants closure."

Mr Dyer said Hosein spoke of his need to "end this torment".

"It was like he'd met his oldest friend when he met Dianne," he added.

The family said Hosein pointed to an exact spot on the farm, near Bishop's Stortford, where he claims she was buried.

Mr Dyer said Hosein had expressed disbelief that her body was not found in 1970.

He denied murdering Ms McKay, but told her family he was in the room when she died.

"He confirmed the time of death, we showed him pictures of the lounge and he said 'yes, she died there when she saw you all on television' during an appeal and that she had a seizure," Mr Dyer said.

Police carried out what they called an "extensive search" at Stocking Farm in March 2022, but found nothing. The family believes the search was too limited in scope.

Hosein told the family he "hasn't slept for 50 years" and lives in a "terrible way" with people judging him.

Mr Dyer said: "I don't forgive him because I can't forgive him, but I can thank him for deciding to do the right thing.

He said he "started to shed a tear or two" as he watched his mother converse with his grandmother's killer and was impressed by his mother's bravery.

"I mean, she is his only link with what he did and he always felt guilty and what he was involved in was awful and he knew it," said Mr Dyer.

He said while he wishes officers from The Met had come with them he was hopeful the force would be "very keen to get on with this job" after seeing recordings of the meeting and the information held.

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email [email protected] or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830