Kidnapping and murder of Lesley Whittle
Lesley Whittle | |
|---|---|
Lesley Whittle, pictured at her brother Ronald's wedding in October 1972 | |
| Born | 3 May 1957 Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England |
| Disappeared | Highley, Shropshire, England |
| Died | c. 17 January 1975 (age 17) Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, England |
| Cause of death | Vagal inhibition |
| Resting place | Highley Parish Church, Shropshire, England 52°26′48″N 2°22′56″W / 52.4468°N 2.3822°W (approximate) |
| Education | Wulfrun College, Wolverhampton |
| Occupation | Student |
| Known for | Victim of kidnapping and murder |
| Height | 5 ft (152 cm) |
| Parents |
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The kidnapping and murder of Lesley Whittle occurred on 14 January 1975. Whittle, a teenage heiress, was kidnapped at gunpoint from her home in Highley, Shropshire, by Donald Neilson; a notorious burglar and murderer known as the Black Panther.
Whittle was driven 65 miles from her home to an underground drainage shaft of a reservoir at Bathpool Park in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, where she was tethered, naked, upon a narrow platform 54 feet (16 m) below ground by a wire noose affixed around her neck and with a hood placed over her head as Neilson made several unsuccessful attempts to collect a £50,000 ransom from her family over the following days. She is believed to have either fallen to her death from this shaft, or been pushed to her death by Neilson, on or about 17 January, causing her to die of vagal inhibition. Her emaciated body was discovered hanging from this shaft on 7 March 1975.: 25
The kidnapping and murder of Lesley Whittle dominated national headlines for eleven months; the investigation into her kidnapping and—ultimately—murder, involved over 400 officers from three separate police forces in addition to the Metropolitan Police.
Donald Neilson was arrested in Mansfield in December 1975 on unrelated charges; he was convicted of Whittle's kidnapping and murder in July 1976 at Oxford Crown Court and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was later convicted of the shooting murders of three post office workers and given three further life sentences.