'When you look at the number of lives he took, why shouldn't he lose his own?'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukIt's one of the most disturbing crime sprees in British judicial history. And it escalated here, in Greater Manchester, with the shooting of a sub-postmaster, before the culprit went on to commit a string of murders - including that of a teenage girl.
The killer's name was Donald Neilson - and he stalked the North in the 1960s and seventies. Here, Lee Grimsditch looks back at the life and crimes of the serial killer dubbed 'The Black Panther'. Psychopath Donald Neilson became feared in the north of England for his ruthless and violent methods, which saw four people die by his hands.
Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, before he was given the nickname the 'The Black Panther', his criminal career began as a house burglar.
Having left the army in 1958, after service in Aden, Cyprus and Kenya, he had married and settled down in Bradford with his wife Irene, and together they had a daughter, Kathryn.
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