'The b****** has gone': Child killer who snatched toddler from her Birmingham bed dies in prison
A child killer who snatched a toddler from her Birmingham bed before murdering her has died in prison.
Robert Astley was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years in 1983 after admitting to the murder of Denise Bradbury.
Denise, aged 2, was abducted from her Kingstanding home before she was sexually assaulted and brutally murdered. Her body was found in the back of a car in Sparkhill two days later.
Astley, who was 23 at the time, was sent to a maximum security jail - and was denied parole in May 2022 after spending 38 years locked up.
In a letter sent to Denise’s father, a Victim Liaison Officer confirmed Astley had at HMP Norwich on 27 December at the age of 64.
Referring to the letter, Dennis Bradbury, 68, said: “I’ll probably frame it and hang it up.
"It might sound crude but that’s how I feel - I want everyone to know the b****** is gone.”
Dennis, who now lives in Sutton Coldfield, had gone to the pub with friends the night his daughter was abducted.
He had left his children with a babysitter, but when they had gone home, Astley snuck into their Clapton Grove home and snatched Denise.
Her body was later found in the back of a car on wasteland off Bromyard Road, Sparkhill.
Astley was sentenced to life imprisonment after confessing to murdering the toddler at Birmingham Crown Court in October 1983.
He was sent to Full Sutton prison - home to some of the country's most notorious killers.
His cause of death is unknown and, as is the case with all deaths in custody, his death will be investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.
Dennis, who is now a grandfather-of-ten and raised his children alone after his wife died in a car crash, said: “From what I heard he was suffering with his health. I was told his family were asked if they wanted to visit him before he died, but they didn’t want to know. They knew he did it."
Astley was sentenced to a further two years in prison in 2016 after attacking another inmate with scalding hot water.
He had previously refused to engage with parole services because he believed "those who have committed murder cannot be healed".
In a letter dated January 3, the MoJ told Dennis: "I am writing to confirm I have recently been informed that RA has died while in custody."
In a statement the MoJ said: "Prisoner Robert Astley died on 27 December at HMP Norwich. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate."
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