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Serial child killer Robert Black dies in prison

Robert Black Credit: PA

Serial child killer Robert Black has died in prison in Northern Ireland at the age of 68.

Northern Ireland Prison Service confirmed an inmate died in non-suspicious circumstances. Prison sources have said the dead prisoner was Black.

The Scottish-born killer was serving 12 life sentences for the murders of four schoolgirls in the 1980s.

He was found guilty of three unsolved child murders - Susan Maxwell, 11 from Northumberland; Caroline Hogg, five, from Edinburgh; and Sarah Harper, ten, from near Leeds in West Yorkshire in 1994.

In 2012, he was convicted of the 1981 murder of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy, from Co Antrim.

He was also suspected of involvement in other killings.

The Prison Service has confirmed that a 68-year-old prisoner has died at Maghaberry Prison.

While this is not being treated as suspicious, the Prison Service has informed the PSNI, Coroner, and Prisoner Ombudsman. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.

– Northern Ireland Prison Service