Robert Black
Great BritainBiography of Robert Black
Robert Black was a Scottish serial killer and child rapist who abducted, raped, and murdered three girls in the 1980s. He also abducted a fourth victim who survived and attempted to kidnap a fifth. He is suspected of being involved in unsolved child murder cases across Europe that occurred between 1969 and the 1970s.
Early Life
Robert Black was born on April 21, 1947, in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, Scotland. His birth mother, Jessie Hunter Black, refused to name the father on his birth certificate. Black was taken in by his adoptive parents, Jack and Margaret Tulip, who were already in their fifties. As a child, he struggled in school and was often bullied by his classmates, who nicknamed him "Smelly Bobby Tulip." He preferred the company of children who were a year or two younger than him. Even in his childhood, he displayed aggressive and defiant behavior. Local residents recall seeing Black with bruises frequently, although Black himself claimed to not remember how he sustained those injuries.
Margaret passed away in 1958 when Black was 11 years old, and he was initially sent to a children's home in Falkirk. However, due to his increasingly troubled behavior, he moved through several different foster homes over the next few years. While still living with the Tulips, Robert became aware of his sexual preferences. He later admitted to inserting various objects into his anus starting at the age of 8. He continued this practice into adulthood. Furthermore, even as a child, he showed a keen interest in the genitals of other children. At the age of 5, he and another girl exposed themselves to compare their genitals. His first attempted rape occurred at the age of 12, along with two other boys. They attacked a girl in a field but were unable to complete the act. When adults learned about the incident, Black ended up in Red House in Musselburgh, where he endured mockery from the male staff. While attending Musselburgh Primary School, Black became particularly interested in football and swimming.
Teenage Years and Early Offenses
At 15, Black found work as a courier in Greenock, near Glasgow. He later confessed to having molested 30-40 girls to varying degrees of success during his time in this role. At 17, he lured a 7-year-old girl into an abandoned building and began choking her until she lost consciousness. He then engaged in masturbation using her body. He was arrested and convicted of "lewd and libidinous behavior" but received only a simple warning. After this incident, Black returned to Grangemouth and entered into a relationship with Pamela Hodgson, asking her to marry him. However, their relationship ended in a breakup a few months later. Robert was devastated, and in 1966, his unnatural desires resurfaced when he began to pursue a 9-year-old granddaughter of his landlord. She eventually confided in her parents, leading to Black being asked to leave the house without police involvement.
Upon arriving in Kinlochleven, Black rented a room from a couple who had a 7-year-old daughter. He once again began molesting a child. This time, authorities were alerted to the sexual abuse, and he was sentenced to a year in Polmont Young Offenders Institution. After his release, Black settled in London and worked as an assistant at a swimming pool, where he would inappropriately observe girls and became involved in child pornography. When police searched his home following his arrest for murder, they discovered over 100 magazines and 50 videos. He was fired from the pool after one of the girls reported that Black had touched her inappropriately. Drifting into bars, Robert became known as a darts player and in 1976, he found employment as a van driver.
Serial Killings and Capture
On July 30, 1982, 11-year-old Susan Maxwell left her home in Cornhill on Tweed to play tennis but was abducted by Black. He raped, strangled, and dumped her body on the side of the road near Uttoxeter. On the evening of July 8, 1983, 5-year-old Caroline Hogg went out to play near her home in Portobello and never returned. Her body was found in a ditch in Leicestershire, 300 miles away from her home, ten days later. Witnesses reported seeing the girl holding hands with a disheveled-looking man who was playing with her on a playground. This man turned out to be Black.
Three years later, on March 26, 1986, 10-year-old Sarah Harper from Morley went out to buy a loaf of bread and disappeared. Her body was discovered in the River Trent near Nottingham a month later. Black had abducted, raped, and killed her.
During the investigation, the police linked all three cases and used the HOLMES computer system. Robert Black was arrested on July 14, 1990, near Stow, Scotland, after trying to abduct a 6-year-old girl whom he bound, gagged, and placed in a sleeping bag in his van but was apprehended by the police in time. The girl escaped unharmed. Following his arrest, a large collection of child pornography was found in his home. A month later, Black was found guilty of abduction and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The police suspected Black of being responsible for the murders of Susan Maxwell, Caroline Hogg, and Sarah Harper. They cross-checked his fuel receipts, which linked him to all three cases, as well as an attempted abduction of a 15-year-old girl who managed to escape in 1988. On April 13, 1994, Black denied his guilt in court, but on May 19, the jury found him guilty on all counts, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 35 years.
Robert Black will remain behind bars at least until 2029 when he turns 82 years old.
