Yorkshire Ripper dead

Malaguena said:
I was at Leeds University between 78 and 81 - Jacqueline was a friend of a friend who I met a few times. Up until that point, the Headingley area and the routes down to the University from there seemed safe .... or maybe we just didn't think it would happen round there. I seem to remember the press at the time were implying it was "only" prostitutes that were the Ripper's target

I also got interviewed by the police when the "Wearside Jack" tape was sent in - seemed they were interviewing anybody with a vague "north east" accent.
Click to expand...
77 - 80. Got pulled up one night coming back from Weetwood by the police. All the lads I was with told me to keep my gob shut (a tall order :giggle:) as with my North-East accent we might be 'detained'.
 
They were sure it was Wearside Jack - shows you can get it all wrong.

Was Wearside Jack every found? - he should have got a few years for what he did.
 
Yes he was , purely by chance . He was a drunkard and got arrested for an offence many years later and his obligatory DNA test identified him as the envelope he posted was kept on file . He got locked up and moved to North Tyneside after release and died A loner not long ago . He was the only bloke not interviewed on his street as the experts correctly identified the accent location . He declared when caught he would of owned up as soon as questioned and he even admitted at the time by post it was a hoax but the police misplaced his claim . I think he cost 3 lives .
 
Last edited:
Redwurzel said:
They were sure it was Wearside Jack - shows you can get it all wrong.

Was Wearside Jack every found? - he should have got a few years for what he did.
Click to expand...

Yes, he was. His name was John Humble and just a few years was all he got, sadly. If the detectives had not been so fixated on the Ripper being from Wearside Sutcliffe would probably have been caught before he murdered his later victims so Humble had blood on his hands and wasn’t punished like he should have been.

As for Sutcliffe, it has cost around £2.5million to keep that bar steward alive for the past 39 years. An appointment with the rope would have been far cheaper and better. (Cue the usual sanctimonious comments from the anti capital punishment brigade)
 
Foggysfplandiet3 said:
As for Sutcliffe, it has cost around £2.5million to keep that bar steward alive for the past 39 years. An appointment with the rope would have been far cheaper and better. (Cue the usual sanctimonious comments from the anti capital punishment brigade)
Click to expand...

I won't make any sanctimonious comments but I suggest you read this so you have an informed opinion rather than a prejudiced one
 
chickenrunner said:
Yep, that was Jacqueline Hill. I was in the year above her at 6th form and her boyfriend was a childhood friend who lived round the corner. Like her I went to Leeds University (left the year before she was murdered) and passed the spot where she was killed many times on the way to The Original Oak in Headingley. Thoughts to her family and friends, it will be the 40th anniversary of her death this coming Tuesday.
Click to expand...
I lived just round the corner from where she was murdered. Shocked to wake up and see Police everywhere. Such a tragic incident. Two girls I knew were followed by a strange guy outside a parade of shops. They told him where to go! A few hours later Jacqueline Hill was killed. Their description matched Sutcliffe and they were so lucky there was two of them. Also remember a girlfriend who’s brother was in the Police saying they didn’t put much effort in when he was killing prostitutes which is a sad indictment on Leeds Police of the time. Was a dark time all around in Leeds. I was in my last year when he was caught during the Easter hols. A real feeling of euphoria when everyone got back.
Am not sure his sentence and custodial conditions matched the crime.
 
Malaguena said:
I was at Leeds University between 78 and 81 - Jacqueline was a friend of a friend who I met a few times. Up until that point, the Headingley area and the routes down to the University from there seemed safe .... or maybe we just didn't think it would happen round there. I seem to remember the press at the time were implying it was "only" prostitutes that were the Ripper's target

I also got interviewed by the police when the "Wearside Jack" tape was sent in - seemed they were interviewing anybody with a vague "north east" accent.
Click to expand...
Had the same. Came out of the Oak or Skyrack alone around closing time and was asked by a copper where I was going / been. As soon as he heard the Boro accent he got interested thinking I could be Mackem Jack
 
Ingleby_Flash said:
Nah, he was inside for nearly forty years, every day living in fear of where the next attack would come from. He was stabbed, blinded in one eye, had boiling water thrown over him, his life was so bad he wanted to die for years, but couldn’t. A short visit to prison and a noose, too easy.
Click to expand...
I agree - death too easy on him. He had a long time to reflect on what he did, the misery he caused. I think he will have suffered anguish, no real life, hated by everyone - a very very twisted soul unfortunately



🐔
 
The Yorkshire ripper story had huge media attention here in Oz. So much so that it was like it had actually taken place here.
Little did we know that we had our very own serial killer in the making on the horizon.
Ivan Milat who befriended young backpackers only to drive them to a forest to commit his horrendous crimes.
Thankfully, a young English guy managed to escape from him which eventually after a lot of police bungling and lost
information was responsible for Milats arrest.
That dog died last year whilst still in Long Bay gaol, coincidentally also at the age of 74.
May they both rot in hell.
 
red_harrington said:
I won't make any sanctimonious comments but I suggest you read this so you have an informed opinion rather than a prejudiced one
Click to expand...

I don't really think the costs of an American trial are particularly relevant, given the differences in our justice system. And it ignores the costs of keeping a person locked up. That said imposing the death penalty in extreme cases causes me far more problems on a practical level than it does a moral one.

I think a lot more could be done however to limit the expense. Was it Ian Brady who absolutely took the ****? When people come under the complete control of the state as they do in prison, the states responsibilities and expenses are far greater than they would be spending on an ex serviceman, who fell through the cracks and ended up living on the streets for example. That's pretty morally repugnant to me.
It's a complicated subject not best discussed on the internet though, which doesn't really favour shades of grey, more technicolour idiots rutting for dominance.
 
Ingleby_Flash said:
Nah, he was inside for nearly forty years, every day living in fear of where the next attack would come from. He was stabbed, blinded in one eye, had boiling water thrown over him, his life was so bad he wanted to die for years, but couldn’t. A short visit to prison and a noose, too easy.
Click to expand...
One of the reasons I disagree with capital punishment.
 
Wearside Jack really has a lot to answer for. Yes the case was one mistake after another but we have to remember it was pre DNA/CCTV and more so police data bases (see people like Ted Bundy etc).

That said he was interviewed 9 times and seen an amazing 60 times in the red light district.

Wearside Jack effectively sent the investigation in the wrong direction for 9 months. Despite eye witnesses saying he didn't have a Sunderland accent. He got off pretty 'lightly' as what he did was frankly bizzare and horrific.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top