Prime suspect in Genette Tate's disappearance dies in prison

A notorious killer who was the prime suspect for murdering a missing Devon schoolgirl has died in prison.

68 year-old Robert Black died of natural causes in Northern Ireland, where he was serving a life sentence for murdering four other children.

Devon and Cornwall Police say they were building a case against Black for the murder of 13 year-old Genette Tate who disappeared in her home village of Aylesbeare near Exeter in 1978. Charges were expected to be brought against Black within the next few weeks.

The body of Genette, who would have been 50 in May last year, has never been found.

A team of detectives including former officers who returned to work on the unsolved case, have spent months preparing a case for the Crown Prosecution Service. Within the next month, charges were expected to brought against Black.