Robert Black was born on April 21, 1947, in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, Scotland. He was the illegitimate child of Jessie Hunter Black and an unknown father. His mother planned to have him adopted but later emigrated to Australia. He was not adopted and, at six months old, was placed with a foster couple, Jack and Margaret Tulip, in Kinlochleven. He took on their surname until his foster mother passed away.

As a child, Black had antisocial tendencies and was often aggressive. He had trouble making friends and was known for causing trouble at school. He found himself being bullied by other children but also began bullying younger kids. His foster mother was strict about cleanliness, but he often neglected his hygiene, earning him the nickname “Smelly Bobby Tulip.”

When he was five, Black and another girl his age engaged in what would become a troubling childhood behavior by comparing their bodies. This incident sparked a belief in Black that he should have been born a girl, leading to an unhealthy obsession with his own and other children's bodies. By the age of eight, he began inserting objects into his anus, a practice that continued into his adult life.

Local residents later noted seeing bruises on Black's body, indicating possible abuse from his foster parents. Although he claimed not to remember how he got them, he admitted he was frequently punished for wetting the bed.

In 1958, after the deaths of the Tulips, Black was moved to another foster family. It was during this time that he committed his first known sexual assault by attacking a young girl in a public restroom. This led his foster mother to report him and insist that he be removed from her home.

Black was then placed in a mixed-sex children's home near Falkirk. Here, he often exposed himself to girls and was punished with a transfer to a more strict all-boys institution, the Red House Care Home. He spent three years there and was sexually abused by a staff member. While at the care home, he attended Musselburgh Grammar School and developed an interest in sports.

In 1963, Black left the care home and moved to another boys' home in Greenock. He became a butcher's delivery boy, during which time he admitted to fondling several young girls while making deliveries. He was later arrested after luring a young girl into an air-raid shelter where he assaulted her.

Following this arrest, Black began a troubled series of relationships and housing situations, often being evicted due to his behavior. Eventually, he was sentenced to a year at Polmont Borstal, a facility for serious young offenders, due to multiple sexual offenses against children.

After his release from Polmont, Black moved to London, obtaining various low-wage jobs, including as a lifeguard. He was fired due to his inappropriate behavior towards children. During this time, he began collecting child pornography and frequently took pictures of young girls without their knowledge.

Black later found a stable living situation with a couple who viewed him as an untroubled tenant. However, he continued to lead a double life, using a van for long-distance deliveries that enabled him to travel far across the country. This job also allowed him to develop a deep knowledge of the British road network.

Throughout his early life, Robert Black experienced a combination of severe childhood trauma, abuse, and troubling behaviors, setting the stage for his future actions.

Robert Black is a Scottish serial killer known for abducting and murdering young girls. His first confirmed victim was nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy, who was taken on August 12, 1981. Jennifer was last seen cycling to a friend's house. Hours later, her bike was found nearby, covered in branches. A search for her began but ended without any leads until six days later, when her body was discovered in a reservoir. An autopsy showed signs of sexual abuse, and it was determined that she had drowned, likely after being strangled.

Black's second victim was eleven-year-old Susan Maxwell, who was abducted on July 30, 1982. She disappeared while walking home from tennis. Despite extensive searches by hundreds of officers, her body was found days later, concealed in undergrowth. Details suggested she had been sexually assaulted before her death, which a coroner determined occurred shortly after her abduction.

The third confirmed victim was five-year-old Caroline Hogg. She was last seen playing outside her home on July 8, 1983. An extensive search involving thousands of volunteers ensued but concluded without success until her naked body was found in a ditch on July 18, far from where she was taken. The autopsy revealed signs that she had likely been sexually assaulted before her murder.

Black was finally apprehended on July 14, 1990, after an attempted abduction of another girl. A witness noted Black's blue van and the police quickly gathered evidence linking him to the earlier murders. In May 1994, he was found guilty of the abduction and murder of Maxwell and Hogg, as well as the attempted abduction of another child. He received a life sentence.

In December 2009, Black was charged with the murder of Jennifer Cardy. In October 2011, he was found guilty of her murder as well, and received another life sentence. Authorities believe Black may have been responsible for many more child murders across the UK and Europe during his active years, making him one of Britain's most notorious serial killers. He died from a heart attack in prison on January 12, 2016.