BLACK IS BRITISH LONGER STREET’

Badcock was drafted in by police to quiz him in prison. It was hoped the interviews would lead to a confession.

Mr Badcock said: “What he mostly wanted to get across was how badly he’d been treated at various stages of life. That was his central mantra.

“Would he proudly describe himself as a serial killer? No, he would not.

“He would describe himself as the unfortunate victim of life.”

It is thought Black, who died aged 68 in 2016 while serving a life sentence, was beaten by his foster parents during his childhood and sexually abused while living at a care home. But forensic psychologist Paul Britton said: “Despite all of the predisposing factors, Robert Black always had a choice.

“Everything that he did in terms of the abduction and offending against children was planned, thought about, carried out over time.

“In each case there were many, many points at which he could have said, ‘Stop…’ at which he could have asked for help, at which he could have looked for intervention.

“He didn’t do any of those things.”