Ripper victims not prostitutes but poor and homeless, says historian

‘They were depicted in the sensational Victorian media as struggling, but there was no evidence of any struggle’

JACK THE RIPPER did not struggle with his victims, but quietly killed them in their sleep, a historian has suggested in a new book.

While it had been thought that the five confirmed victims of the mysterious serial killer were prostitutes soliciting for business when they were killed in Victorian London, Dr Hallie Rubenhold claims they were all sleeping, and that most of them were rough sleeping.

The historian found evidence from reports of the inquests that pointed to the conclusion that the women were all killed in their sleep.

The coroner said in each case that the women were killed in the reclining position, and that there was no struggle and no noise. This points to them being taken advantage of, as they slept in Whitechapel. They were found without money, suggesting they were rough sleeping.

Dr Rubenhold, whose previous work inspired Harlots, the ITV drama, said: “It makes no sense that someone who was soliciting wouldn’t scream. Police conflated female homelessness with prostitution.”

While victim Mary Jane Kelly, was killed while in bed asleep, the rest were found dead in the street. This led police to believe they were soliciting on the streets, but Dr Rubenhold said this was a “Victorian attitude” to vulnerable women and that the places they were found were known rough sleeping spots.

She added: “There is so much more evidence to suggest they were killed in their sleep than that they were working as prostitutes, but the narrative has always gone with the latter view. People are always surprised when I remind them that most of the victims were in their 40s. Their sexual capital was extremely reduced so they would have found it difficult to ‘turn tricks’. They were depicted in the sensationalist Victorian media as struggling, but there was no evidence of any struggle.”

Her book – The Five, released on Feb 28 – is said to be the first time a historian has looked into the backgrounds of the five victims of Jack the Ripper, as much of the work throughout history has been focused on discovering the identity of the serial killer.