From 1971, he committed a series of robberies of sub-post offices; in 1974, Neilson killed three men during these robberies.
28 Facts About Donald Neilson
2.
Donald Neilson was arrested later that year, convicted of four counts of murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 1976.
3.
Neilson, born Donald Nappey, was aged ten in January 1947, when his 33-year-old mother died from breast cancer.
4.
Donald Neilson was said to have had an unhappy childhood, and was caught shopbreaking in 1948.
5.
Donald Neilson committed over 400 house burglaries without detection during his early days of crime.
6.
Donald Neilson's crimes became progressively more violent as he sought to protect himself from occupants prepared to resist and defend their property.
7.
Donald Neilson stamped on Richardson's feet, breaking several toes, and kneed him in the groin.
8.
Several other photofits of Donald Neilson were similarly unhelpful to the police, but one, made by sub-postmistress Margaret Grayland, was extremely accurate.
9.
Donald Neilson killed Donald Skepper in Harrogate in North Yorkshire in February 1974, Derek Astin of Baxenden in Lancashire in September 1974, and Sidney Grayland in Langley, West Midlands during November 1974.
10.
Donald Neilson was linked to the post office shootings after he shot security guard Gerald Smith six times while checking a ransom trail.
11.
On 14 January 1975, Donald Neilson entered the Whittle family home in Highley, Shropshire, and kidnapped Lesley from her bedroom.
12.
Some analysts thought it was possible Donald Neilson pushed Whittle off the ledge where he had kept her.
13.
An alternative scenario is that Donald Neilson was not present when Whittle died, and that he had panicked and fled on the night of the failed ransom collection without returning to the shaft, believing the police were closing in on him.
14.
Donald Neilson's height from the neck was four feet, and there was a five feet length of ligature, giving an overall length of nine feet.
15.
Donald Neilson ordered White into the back of the car, and the policeman complied and opened the car door.
16.
Donald Neilson staggered to his feet, and ran towards the fish and chip shop screaming for help.
17.
Donald Neilson noted that Neilson had fed her chicken soup, spaghetti and meatballs, and bought her fish and chips, chicken legs, and Polo mints.
18.
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.
19.
On 1 July 1976 Donald Neilson was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Lesley Whittle, for which he was given a life sentence.
20.
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.
21.
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 Mrs Grayland, and of possessing a shotgun with the intent of endangering life at Mansfield.
22.
The trial judge recommended that Donald Neilson receive a whole life tariff.
23.
Irene Donald Neilson was later convicted of cashing over eighty stolen postal orders that had come from one of her husband's post office raids.
24.
Donald Neilson claimed to have been forced into cashing these items in various post offices over a large area.
25.
Donald Neilson received twelve months in prison per official court records.
26.
Six years later, in an interview with The Sunday People, Irene Donald Neilson claimed that she doubted she would have been jailed had she not been Donald Neilson's wife.
27.
Donald Neilson said everyone had wanted blood after her husband's trial.
28.
In 2008, Donald Neilson applied to the High Court to have his minimum term reverted to 30 years.