CHILD killer Mary Bell is asking the courts to place a veil of secrecy over her daughter - for life.

Bell, 44, is seeking an order in a bid to give her child a new start with a new name.

An order which banned her from being named was made when she became a ward of court in 1985, but it expires when she becomes 18 in July.

Lawyers have lodged papers in the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court to extend the injunction, preventing newspapers and broadcasters from naming her.

It will be argued she can only continue her life normally as an adult if she has a new identity.

Bell was jailed for life in 1968 for the manslaughter of Martin Brown, four, and three-year-old Brian Howe, in Newcastle.

She served 12 years in custody and was released on licence in 1980. She was put under supervision and given a new identity. Her daughter was born four years later.

In May 1998 Bell and her daughter were moved by police from their home in a south coast town after journalists gathered outside.

She had attracted attention when a book was published detailing her post-prison life and asking what drives children to kill.