Robert Black (21 April 1947 – 12 January 2016) was a Scottish serial killer and paedophile who was convicted of the kidnap, rape, sexual assault and murder of four girls aged between 5 and 11 in a series of killings committed between 1981 and 1986 in the United Kingdom.
Black was convicted of the kidnapping, rape and murder of three girls on 19 May 1994. He was also convicted of the kidnapping of a fourth girl, and had earlier been convicted of the kidnapping and sexual assault of a fifth. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 35 years.
Black was further convicted of the 1981 sexual assault and murder of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy in 2011, and at the time of his death, was about to be charged with the 1978 disappearance and murder of 13-year-old Genette Tate. Black may also have been responsible for several other unsolved child murders throughout Britain, Ireland and continental Europe between 1969 and 1987.
The nationwide manhunt for Black was one of the most exhaustive UK murder investigations of the 20th century. He died in prison in 2016.
ROBERT BLACK
Born 21 April 1947
Grangemouth, Scotland
Died 12 January 2016 (aged 68)
HMP Maghaberry, Northern Ireland
Cause of death Heart attack
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment
Conviction(s) Murder
Kidnap
Preventing the lawful burial of a body
Sexual assault
Attempted kidnap
Killings
Victims 4+
Span of killings
12 August 1981–26 March 1986
Country United Kingdom
Date apprehended
14 July 1990
