One of the Midlands' most notorious criminal cases began on a cold January night in 1975, when a teenage girl vanished from her own bed.
The Nightmare Begins
Lesley Whittle, a 17-year-old student from Highley near Bridgnorth, was kidnapped from her home on January 14, 1975. Her mother discovered her empty bed, finding only ransom notes demanding £50,000 and a stern warning not to contact the police.
The perpetrator was the infamous serial killer Donald Neilson, known by the media as the 'Black Panther' for the black balaclava he wore during his crimes. Neilson had targeted Lesley after learning of her family's wealth; her father owned a successful private coach company.
A Killer's Campaign of Fear
Lesley's abduction came just two months after Neilson's violent spree against sub-postmasters. In late 1974, he murdered three during armed raids in Harrogate, Accrington, and Langley. At the Langley Telegraph Post Office near Oldbury on November 11, 1974, he killed Sidney Grayland and brutally attacked his wife, Margaret.
Despite a massive police operation and attempts to deliver the ransom, Neilson murdered the teenager. Her body was discovered on March 7, 1975, in a drainage shaft at Bathpool Park in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, where she had been held captive.
The End of the Reign
The Black Panther's reign of terror ended in December 1975 when he was arrested near Mansfield. Spotted acting suspiciously outside a post office, he attacked arresting officers with a sawn-off shotgun before a dramatic capture involving members of the public at a chip shop.
Originally from Bradford, Neilson was given four life sentences in July 1976. A failed appeal in 2008 confirmed he would die in prison. He passed away in 2011, aged 75, from motor neurone disease.
A Story Retold
The case is now the focus of a new BBC Sounds podcast, 'The Cop, The Kidnap and The Killer', part of the 'Crime Next Door' brand. Presented by Midlands-born journalist Susan Hanks, the series uses powerful interviews with those who lived through the events.
"The twists and turns of this case make it compelling for a new audience," Hanks said. "For those that remember the story at the time - we hope that we have reflected the tragic events of 1975 in a respectful way."
