34 Facts About Donald Neilson

Donald Neilson was arrested later that year, convicted of four murders and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 1976.

Donald Neilson was born Donald Nappey in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 1 August 1936.

Donald Neilson reportedly had a difficult childhood, losing his mother to breast cancer when he was 10.

Donald Neilson was the target of bullying at school due to his surname's similarity to the word "nappy".

Donald Neilson served in the British Army and was posted in Kenya, Cyprus and Aden as part of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

Four years later, Donald Neilson legally changed his surname so that his daughter would avoid the mistreatment he had endured in his youth.

Why he chose the name "Donald Neilson" remains disputed; according to authors David Bell and Harry Hawkes, he took the name from a man whose taxi business he had purchased, while Lena Fearnley, a lodger who had stayed with the Donald Neilson family in the early 1960s, reported that he took the name from an ice cream van.

Donald Neilson committed over 400 house burglaries, which went undetected during the early stages of his criminal career.

In February of 1972, Donald Neilson broke into a post office in Heywood, Lancashire.

Donald Neilson was linked to the post office shootings after he shot security guard Gerald Smith six times while following a ransom trail.

On 14 January 1975, Donald Neilson entered the Whittle family home in Highley, Shropshire, and kidnapped Lesley from her bedroom.

Lesley Whittle's body was found on 7 March 1975, hanging from a wire at the bottom of the drainage shaft where Donald Neilson had tethered her in Bathpool Park, Kidsgrove, Staffordshire.

Some analysts thought it was possible Donald Neilson pushed Whittle off the ledge where he had kept her.

Donald Neilson concluded that she had not eaten for a minimum of three days, but it could have been much longer.

In December 1975, police officers Tony White and Stuart Mackenzie, stationed on a side road off the A60 in Mansfield, encountered Donald Neilson, who was carrying a holdall.

Donald Neilson then ordered White to move to the front while he took the passenger seat, holding the firearm against Mackenzie.

Donald Neilson was secured until additional police units arrived and took him into custody.

Donald Neilson noted that Neilson had fed her chicken soup, spaghetti and meatballs, and bought her fish and chips, chicken legs, and Polo mints.

Evidence showed that Donald Neilson had provided his victim with a sleeping bag designed to prevent hypothermia, mattresses, survival blankets, survival bags, a bottle of brandy, six paperback books, a copy of The Times and two magazines for reading, a small puzzle, and two brightly-coloured napkins.

Donald Neilson noted that Whittle would not have died if the wire had not snagged on a stanchion because her feet were only six inches from the bottom of the shaft.

Donald Neilson's height from the neck was four feet, and there was a five-foot length of ligature, giving an overall length of nine feet.

Donald Neilson asked the jury why Neilson bothered to keep her alive once he had recorded the ransom messages, arguing he could have simply clubbed her to death, and hidden the body in woodland.

On 1 July 1976, Donald Neilson was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Lesley Whittle, for which he was given a life sentence.

Donald Neilson was assessed by expert witness Lionel Haward, a forensic psychologist, and was found to be "suffering from a psycho-pathological condition of some severity" but not to the extent that it resulted in diminished responsibility.

Donald Neilson's defence team, solicitor, Barrington Black, junior counsel, Norman Jones, and leading counsel, Gilbert Gray, all claimed that his conviction was a reflection of public opinion, a backlash of the publicity given to the hunt for the kidnapper and killer, and that he should have been convicted only of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Donald Neilson was acquitted of the attempted murders of sub-postmistress Margaret Grayland and PC Tony White, but found guilty of the lesser alternative charges of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Grayland, and of possessing a shotgun with the intent of endangering life at Mansfield.

The trial judge recommended that Donald Neilson receive a whole life tariff.

Irene Donald Neilson was later convicted of cashing over eighty stolen postal orders obtained during her husband's post office raids.

Donald Neilson received twelve months in prison per official court records.

Six years later, in an interview with The Sunday People, Irene Donald Neilson said that she doubted she would have been jailed had she not been Donald Neilson's wife.

Donald Neilson said everyone had wanted blood after her husband's trial.

In 2008, Donald Neilson applied to the High Court to have his minimum term reverted to 30 years.

Donald Neilson's condition deteriorated, and he was later confirmed to have died the following day, 18 December 2011, at the age of 75.

Donald Neilson had been in declining health for some time prior to his death.