Lesley Whittle was a 17-year-old girl who became the youngest and most infamous victim of Donald Neilson, the notorious British murderer known as the Black Panther.
In January 1975, Neilson kidnapped Lesley from the bedroom of her home in Shropshire, England, in order to acquire a £50,000 ransom from her family. Neilson had read that Lesley had been left a considerable sum of money by her late father George, who ran a successful coach company.
Tragically, a series of police bungles and unfortunate circumstances meant that Lesley's brother Ronald was unable to take the ransom money to the place where Neilson demanded it and at the time he demanded. Ultimately Neilson got so frustrated he pushed Lesley off the ledge where he had tethered her in a secluded Staffordshire park, strangling her.
Lots of recriminations followed but Neilson was ultimately caught and was given a life sentence for Lesley's murder in 1976, along with identical sentences for other killings he had carried out in his criminal career. He remains in prison to this day, with his 30-year tariff due to expire in 2006.
