A sensational new book has caused a storm among historians by claiming that Jack the Ripper was, in fact, a woman.
Former solicitor John Morris, 62, has named Welsh-born Lizzie Williams as the Whitechapel monster - and claims she killed her victims because she could not have children, ripping out the wombs of three in an 'unhinged state'.
Lizzie was the wife of royal physician Sir John Williams, himself seen as a prime suspect by many other crime experts.
Mr Morris, from Birmingham, also cites evidence - which has not proved popular among Ripper experts - including the fact that none of the five murdered prostitutes was sexually assaulted; and the personal items of one, Annie Chapman, were laid out at her feet 'in a feminine manner'.
Mr Morris's new book, Jack The Ripper: The Hand Of A Woman, was written along with his late father Byron.
The men sifted through thousands of medical and legal documents to draw up a compelling case for branding Lizzie the killer.
But John, speaking from his current home in Wicklow, Ireland, said their theory has not gone down well with Ripperologists.
'The case for a woman murderer is overwhelming. But unfortunately it does not sit well in some quarters where such a theory flies in the face of long-held beliefs,' he told the Birmingham Mail.
'Thereââ¬â¢s absolutely no doubt that the Ripper was a woman. But because everyone believes that the murderer was a man, all the evidence that points to a woman has always been ignored.'
The Ripper struck five times during a blood-soaked ten weeks in 1888. The victims - Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly - were all East End prostitutes.
Three had their wombs removed, which John believes is significant.
He says Welshwoman Lizzie, born on February 7, 1850, was unable to have children and, in an unhinged state, took terrible revenge on those who could.
Coroner Wynne Baxter said at Annie Chapmanââ¬â¢s inquest: 'The conclusion that the desire was to possess the missing (body) part seems overwhelming.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rial-killer-actually-WOMAN.html#ixzz1uOASL4xn
Question: What are your thoughts on this theory?
Former solicitor John Morris, 62, has named Welsh-born Lizzie Williams as the Whitechapel monster - and claims she killed her victims because she could not have children, ripping out the wombs of three in an 'unhinged state'.
Lizzie was the wife of royal physician Sir John Williams, himself seen as a prime suspect by many other crime experts.
Mr Morris, from Birmingham, also cites evidence - which has not proved popular among Ripper experts - including the fact that none of the five murdered prostitutes was sexually assaulted; and the personal items of one, Annie Chapman, were laid out at her feet 'in a feminine manner'.
Mr Morris's new book, Jack The Ripper: The Hand Of A Woman, was written along with his late father Byron.
The men sifted through thousands of medical and legal documents to draw up a compelling case for branding Lizzie the killer.
But John, speaking from his current home in Wicklow, Ireland, said their theory has not gone down well with Ripperologists.
'The case for a woman murderer is overwhelming. But unfortunately it does not sit well in some quarters where such a theory flies in the face of long-held beliefs,' he told the Birmingham Mail.
'Thereââ¬â¢s absolutely no doubt that the Ripper was a woman. But because everyone believes that the murderer was a man, all the evidence that points to a woman has always been ignored.'
The Ripper struck five times during a blood-soaked ten weeks in 1888. The victims - Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly - were all East End prostitutes.
Three had their wombs removed, which John believes is significant.
He says Welshwoman Lizzie, born on February 7, 1850, was unable to have children and, in an unhinged state, took terrible revenge on those who could.
Coroner Wynne Baxter said at Annie Chapmanââ¬â¢s inquest: 'The conclusion that the desire was to possess the missing (body) part seems overwhelming.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rial-killer-actually-WOMAN.html#ixzz1uOASL4xn
Question: What are your thoughts on this theory?
