PORTADOWN, NORTHERN IRELAND – In 1990, Robert Black, infamously known as the child snatcher, was apprehended by the police after kidnapping and abusing a young girl in the back of his delivery van. His reign of terror came to a halt, thanks to a wrong turn that led to his capture and the rescue of his victim.
Black was responsible for the abduction, abuse, and murder of multiple young victims across the UK during the 1980s. In 1994, he was found guilty of three child murders and was later prosecuted for a fourth murder in 2012. Black was also suspected of numerous other disappearances and killings.
Following his arrest, a documentary titled “The Child Snatcher: Manhunt” was aired on Channel 5, shedding light on one of the largest murder investigations in the UK. The documentary detailed how detectives from various forces connected the dots between the crimes.
It was a stroke of luck that led to Black’s capture. A resident of Stow, Scotland, witnessed him abducting a six-year-old girl and promptly reported the incident to the police. Moments later, as Black was driving away, he made a wrong turn and drove straight into the waiting arms of the authorities.
The victim’s father, a policeman, recognized Black’s resemblance to a sketch of a suspect in another cold case, leading police to consider him for multiple deaths. Black’s job as a driver enabled him to evade justice for over 20 years, as he was able to crisscross police boundaries and elude authorities.
Ultimately, Black’s 12 life sentences caught up with him when he died in Maghaberry Prison in 2016, and nobody attended his cremation in Belfast. A month after his death, chilling audio was released, detailing how he would track young children in his van. Despite his demise, his heinous crimes continue to haunt his victims and their families.