NORTH-EAST child killer Mary Bell and her daughter should have lifelong anonymity because of the "nutter factor", the High Court was told yesterday.

Christopher Knox, counsel for the daughter, who will be 19 next month, said that there was an alarming risk of harassment should her identity and whereabouts become known.

"There is the nutter factor - the reality that someone quite irrationally will do something directed towards her or a member of her household," he said.

"These risks can't be calculated.''

Mr Knox told Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, president of the Family Division, that the daughter was "inextricably'" bound up with her 46-year-old mother, with whom she had a close bond.

Bell was convicted of the manslaughter of two boys, Martin Brown, four, and Brian Howe, three, in December 1968. She was 11 when she committed the crimes. She has lived under a new identity since she was released on licence in 1980.

Mr Knox said that the daughter had done well, as a young teenager, to ride through a "very disturbing" incident at her school, which coincided with her learning about her mother's past.

Should only the daughter be granted anonymity, he said she would still be clearly identifiable by reference to her mother.

Reports described the daughter as a level-headed, sensible and caring young woman, who appeared to have come to terms with her mother's past and was a credit to her upbringing.

The court has been asked to grant an injunction under Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, which requires respect for someone's private and family life.

The move has not been opposed by the media, although the Attorney General, representing the public interest, has emphasised the need for balance between such an injunction and the importance of open justice.

Judgement has been reserved until after Easter.