Black Panther killer Neilson dies

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.