London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Prof Sue Black carried human heads on flight as part of serial killer probe

Prof Sue Black carried human heads on flight as part of serial killer probe

Prof Dame Sue Black reveals she carried two skulls in her hand luggage while helping Italian police investigate a serial killer.

Forensic scientist Prof Dame Sue Black has revealed how she once transported two human heads in designer bags on a plane from Italy to Scotland.

Prof Black had been asked to assist Italian police who were investigating a serial killer in the mid-1990s.

She said she was moved to business class after telling an "utterly horrified" stewardess what she was carrying.

She told host Damian Barr she was asked to take the heads to Scotland to carry out a facial superimposition, a procedure where a photograph is matched to a skull, which was unavailable in Italy at the time.

One of the challenges of transporting the remains, she recalled, was that they were in an advanced state of decay.

'Plague victim'
"So what they decided they would do was to put each of the heads into white buckets that you could seal," she said.

"And so we didn't disturb anyone at the airport, I would carry them in two very expensive designer carrier bags so that it didn't look obvious."

Prof Black was given two letters, in English and Italian, explaining what she was carrying.
She said: "I gave her the English letter and she was utterly horrified but moved me into business class, which I thought was very nice.

"But it was as if they had put razor wire around me because she totally ignored me for the entirety of the flight like I was a plague victim."

Prof Black said a security guard at Heathrow Airport then said the bags needed to be opened, so she gave him a detailed description of what he might find inside.

"He sort of turned a bit green and went 'Nah you can go'," she recalled.

On the subsequent flight to Glasgow she said she was moved to the back of the plane and everyone else was moved to business class.

Gianfranco Stevanin was eventually convicted in Italy of murdering six women between 1993 and 1994.

She was discussing her second memoir Written In Bone, the follow-up to her 2018 book All That Remains.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×