Lesley Whittle
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Lesley Whittle (born 1957, died 1975) was a 17-year-old girl who became the youngest and most famous 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 sentenced to life imprisonment in 1976 for the murder of Lesley and four other people. The trial judge recommended that Neilson should never be released unless he lived to a great age or endured infirmity. 30 years on, he is still behind bars as one of the country's longest-serving prisoners.
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