Convicted child killer and rapist Robert Black is dead.
The 68-year-old is understood to have died of natural causes inside Maghaberry Prison.
The remorseless monster was convicted at Armagh Crown Court for the murder of Jennifer Cardy.
Black was also convicted of murdering three other children across the UK during his sick and shocking reign in the 1980s.
Jennifer Cardy disappeared on August 12, 1981.
The nine-year-old left her home in Ballinderry to cycle to meet a friend. Her bike was found close to the family home in Co Antrim and her body discovered near Hillsborough six days after she disappeared.
The child had been sexually assaulted and the case caused outrage and horror among the public.
Robert Black and (inset) one of his victims, Jennifer Cardy – and his official police mugshot
Black – who had been in the area working – was convicted in October 2011 at Armagh Crown Court for kidnapping Jennifer, sexually assaulting and murdering the nine-year-old schoolgirl.
He was returned for sentencing weeks after being convicted and was ordered to serve 25 years for her murder.
The judge told Black he would be at least 89 years of age before he would be considered for release.
He was also convicted in 1994 of three other murders.
Ten-year-old Sarah Harper was abducted as she made her way to buy bread in 1986, near her home in Leeds.
In 1982, he abducted and murdered 11-year-old Susan Maxwell, close to the Scottish border, while five-year-old Caroline Hogg vanished from her home at Portabello, near Edinburgh, the following year. Her body was dumped in a ditch in Leicestershire.
The Prison Service confirmed the death of a prisoner at Maghaberry.
It said in a statement: “While this is not being treated as suspicious, the Prison Service has informed the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Coroner, and Prisoner Ombudsman.
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