Descendants of Jack the Ripper’s victims want new inquest after DNA breakthrough on killer’s identity
It is a mystery which has endured for more than 130 years.
Now the descendants of Jack the Ripper’s victims hope to finally establish the truth about one of the most notorious unsolved crimes of all time.
They are backing a legal application for a new inquest into the death of Catherine Eddowes after evidence emerged to suggest that the killer was Aaron Kosminski.
The Polish barber, who emigrated to the UK in the 1880s, was a suspect at the time of the five murders in Whitechapel, east London, in 1888.
But he was never arrested because police had no proof of his involvement – until now.
A bloodstained shawl said to have been found on Ms Eddowes’ body, which was purchased at auction in 2007 by author and Ripper researcher Russell Edwards, was later found to have the DNA of both the victim and Kosminski.
In October, the Mail revealed that Mr Edwards had uncovered new evidence of Kosminski’s links to the highly secretive Freemasons which may have motivated his sadistic killings and shielded him from law enforcement, ensuring he was locked away in an asylum, where he died.
Now Mr Edwards has hired a legal team to fight for an inquest on the grounds that there is further evidence for a coroner to consider about the circumstances of the death and crucially who was responsible.
Karen Miller, from Barnard Castle, County Durham, who is a descendent of Jack the Ripper victim Catherine Eddowes is calling for a new inquest to establish that her killer was Ripper suspect Aaron Kosminski
Catherine Eddowes (pictured) was the fourth of the canonical five victims of notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper
A bloodstained shawl said to have been found on Ms Eddowes’ body which was purchased at auction in 2007 was later found to have the DNA of both the victim and Kosminski
Aaron Kosminski was a Polish barber who emigrated to the UK in the 1880s and was a suspect at the time of the five murders in Whitechapel, east London, in 1888
The campaign has been backed by the descendants of both Ms Eddowes and Kosminski, who say it is time to unmask the true killer and get justice for the women involved.
The other four victims were Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride and Mary Jane Kelly.
Karen Miller, 53, who is the three-times great-granddaughter of Ms Eddowes, provided her DNA, which matched her ancestor’s blood on the shawl.
She said: ‘The name Jack the Ripper has become sensationalised, it has gone down in history as this famous character.
‘It has all been about him, this iconic name, but people have forgotten about the victims who did not have justice at the time.
‘What about the real name of the person who did this? Having the real person legally named in a court which can consider all the evidence would be a form of justice for the victims.
‘We have got the proof, now we need this inquest to legally name the killer.
‘It would mean a lot to me, to my family, to a lot of people to finally have this crime solved.’
Descendants of the Ripper’s other victims have also backed calls for a new inquest.
Karen Miller, 53, who is the three-times great-granddaughter of Ms Eddowes, provided her DNA, which matched her ancestor’s blood on the shawl
An illustration from the time showing Jack the Ripper in one of his notorious slashing attacks
The corpse of Elizabeth Stride, murdered by Jack the Ripper at Derner Street, September 30, 1888
Mary Jane Kelly, the final victim of the notorious unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper
Sue Parlour, whose husband Andy is distantly related to Mary Ann Nichols, known as Polly, said: ‘There was no justice for these victims at the time. It was all such a long time ago.
‘But it would mean a lot to finally be able to name the killer, to get some closure on this.
‘These women have been dismissed as just prostitutes like they did not matter, but they did.’
Kosminski’s descendants have also supported the move.
His three-times great-niece Amanda Poulos said: ‘I’m more than happy to finally establish what really happened.’
When the original inquest was held on October 4, 1888, a verdict of ‘wilful murder’ was returned. But police were still hunting for the serial killer at the time.
Under the law, the Attorney General has to grant permission for any application to the High Court for a further inquest.
Two years ago, Sir Michael Ellis, then the Attorney General, refused permission, saying there was not sufficient new evidence.
But barrister Dr Tim Sampson said that this set ‘a terrible precedent in relation to requests to reopen inquests involving the violent deaths of women and gives the impression that such matters are better brushed under the carpet or simply left to sensationalist reporting, rather than being exposed to dispassionate judicial scrutiny’.
Kosminski’s descendants have also supported the move – pictured is Karen Miller with a portrait of her Jack the Ripper victim Catherine Eddowes
Cover of The Penny Illustrated Paper (September 8, 1888) showing a policeman finding the body of Mary Ann Nichols, a victim of the serial killer Jack the Ripper
He has written to Attorney General Richard Hermer arguing there is new evidence to consider which if it had been available at the time ‘would have been justifiable for the coroner to charge and then seek to have Aaron Kosminski prosecuted for both the murder of Ms Eddowes and the other four victims’.
If permission were granted, the case would go to a High Court judge to consider.
East London coroner Nadia Persaud has signalled she would be prepared to preside over any inquest if directed to do so.
She has previously written to Mr Edwards’ solicitor, saying: ‘I would not oppose your application… it appears to me that a fresh inquest would be unlikely to reach any different outcome, the only new factor being the suggestion that the perpetrator might now be identified.’
Mr Edwards said: ‘A second inquest is the only way of confirming what happened. As we now have identified the true murderer with a wealth of evidence putting the man we named as the Ripper in the frame, we want justice to be served.’
