ROBERT Black was a serial killer that committed horrific and unimaginable crimes.
One of his victims was Jennifer Cardy – read on to learn about her.
Who was Jennifer Cardy?
Jennifer Cardy was a nine-year-old girl who lived in Ballinderry, Co Antrim.
She was born to Andrew and Patricia Cardy.
She went missing on August 12, 1981.
What happened to Jennifer Cardy?
Jennifer was abducted by Scottish serial killer Robert Black.
He murdered Jennifer and three other girls, 11-year-old Susan Maxwell, five-year-old Caroline Hogg, and 10-year-old Sarah Harper.
He’s also a suspect in the murder of 13-year-old Genette Tate.
He dumped Jennifer’s body at McKee’s dam near Hillsborough.
Robert was convicted of Jennifer’s sexual assault and murder in 2011 after decades of police work.
He died in Maghaberry Prison in 2016 at the age of 68.
Jennifer Cardy’s father revealed how he would’ve killed Robert if he’d ever got hold of him.
He also expressed regret about buying the bicycle she was riding when Black abducted her.
In a new Channel 5 programme, which examined Robert’s crimes, Andrew recollected what his family experienced over four decades.
He described the last time he saw Jennifer:
“A little nine-year-old girl had just learned she could have her own bicycle. The last sighting I would ever have of our little girl was her hair sweeping around her face as she closed the door behind her.”
“There was still some of the school holidays left and I wanted Jennifer to be able to enjoy travelling to her friends’ houses.”
“My wife Pat says, ‘Don’t be buying a new bike. Keep it for a Christmas present’, and I says ‘No, better that she has it for the holidays.’”
“Pat didn’t want me to buy that bike, and if I hadn’t have bought it, she wouldn’t have been out on that bike to be taken.”
Andrew recalled having to undertake the horrific task of identifying his daughter’s body.
“I got a call to go and identify Jennifer’s body. I can remember they opened the body bag and I had to be held up because I would have collapsed.”
“Because she had been in the water so many days… I could not really identify her, so I asked (if they would) unzip the bag further down because I wanted to see her shoes. Then I knew it was her.”
“I have to admit, and I don’t often tell this, but I have to admit that revenge was a big part of my life then.”
“If I had have found out who had done what they did to Jennifer, I would have killed them. I mean that — I would have killed them.”
“It was very important that he was caught. He could obviously do the same to another little girl.”
Reflecting on the investigation, Andrew stated him and his wife knew it would take years stating “they told us that and were content to sit back.”
“We knew the police were doing their utmost to bring this to a conclusion.”
“We knew it would come to maturity in the end, and we left it with them to do that. He almost admitted that he had killed Jennifer.”
“I was nearly sick in my stomach going to court. Would you like to look at the person who murdered your daughter?”
Where was Jennifer Cardy buried?
Jennifer is buried in Ballinderry close to her home.
Her funeral included attendees who scoured the fields for her when she went missing.
Reverend William Beattie was a friend of the Cardys and officiated the service stating:
“She was a lively and bright little girl – very well-mannered and behaved. She seemed to be an ideal daughter and was a real gem of a person.”
