A NEW podcast has been released which focuses on the kidnapping and murder of teenager Lesley Whittle, whose family owned a major Kidderminster business.
Crime Next Door: The Cop, The Kidnap and The Killer is now on BBC Sounds and comes 50 years on from the story which shocked the nation.
The podcast explores Lesley’s kidnap and murder by a man known as the Black Panther.
Lesley’s family, who were owners of Whittles coach firm in Kidderminster, were left ransom notes demanding £50,000 and warning them not to involve the police after the teen was kidnapped from the family home in Shropshire, in January 1975.
The investigation spanned the East and West Midlands, with major developments in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Oxfordshire.
The case not only gripped the public but also transformed the way police forces collaborated and engaged with the media, forever altering the landscape of British policing.
The series is presented by BBC journalist and broadcaster Susan Hanks, who revisits the events with those who lived through them.
Susan said: “The twists and turns of this case make it compelling for a new audience and – for those who remember the story at the time – we hope we have reflected the tragic events of 1975 in a respectful way.”
The story is told from the perspective of the detective whose relentless pursuit of justice ultimately cost him his career.
Crime Next Door: The Cop, The Kidnap and The Killer features rare and original archive material, some of which has not been heard since it first aired in 1975.
Chris Burns, BBC’S head of local audio commissioning, said: “This is an extraordinary story, the impact of which still echoes through the corridors of British criminal history.
“It’s a deeply personal and powerful retelling from BBC Local of a case that literally changed policing in this country forever.”
