Genette Tate's father tells ITV News: Robert Black's death means I will never be able to grieve for my daughter

Video report by ITV News Correspondent Rupert Evelyn

The father of Genette Tate has told ITV News that he may never be able to properly grieve for his daughter after her suspected killer Robert Black died in prison.

Black, 68, died at Maghaberry Prison in Northern Ireland on Monday while serving multiple life sentences for the abduction, sexual abuse and murder of young schoolgirls.

Genette Tate was 13 when she disappeared on her paper round in Aylesbeare, Devon in 1978. Her body has never been found.

Police were on the verge of charging Black with Genette's murder before his death and her father John Tate said he fears he will now never find out what happened to his daughter.

"It's hard [to grieve] because there's a tiny little bit of me that hopes she's alive somewhere," he said.

"I hoped that we were going to find out what actually happened to her and to rule out once and for all that she is alive somewhere.

"If she is dead, find out where he put her and give her a proper burial, probably in Aylesbeare."

Mr Tate - who said he still thinks about his daughter every day - spoke of his hope that Black had left a letter confessing to his daughter's murder in his prison cell.

He also revealed that he had attempted to visit the serial child killer in prison to "try and find out what he did with her".

"I never got an opportunity - he wouldn't see me."

"I've written lots of letters to him as well but never got anything back."