Black Panther killer Neilson dies
Monday 19 December 2011 20:00 EST
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Donald Neilson, the serial killer known as the Black Panther and one of a small group of notorious prisoners who were told they would never leave jail, has died at the age of 75.
Neilson's health had been deteriorating for some time – in 2008 it was reported he was suffering motor neurone disease.
Neilson who killed three sub-postmasters during a series of armed robberies, was best-known for the killing of the teenage heiress Lesley Whittle in 1975.
He kidnapped her and left a ransom demand for £50,000 but she was later found dead in an underground drainage system.
After his capture, a cache of guns, ammunition and a model of a black panther were found at his Yorkshire home.