Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Hunt for Jack the
Swinging 60s serial killer who dumped murdered prostitutes naked.. and was never caught
while, had been drinking in Shepherd’s Bush Hotel before strolling off with an unidentified man. She was found five weeks later on February 16, 1965, on a trading estate in Acton.
Two other prostitutes who may have been victims of Jack were Elizabeth Figg, 21, found on June 17, 1959, and Gwyneth Rees, 22, found on November 8, 1963.
THE INVESTIGATION
Mr Du Rose, one of Scotland Yard’s top five investigators, took charge of the Nude Murders case in February 1965. “I wanted West London flooded with policemen, and it was,” he said. He had a 200-strong CID force, plus another 100 officers. The Special Patrol Group of 300 officers was also called in.
Observation points were set up around a 24 square mile area of West London to monitor cars seen repeatedly at night. Officers did intelligence-gathering in pubs and clubs. Policewomen disguised as prostitutes noted car registration plates and suspicious behaviour.
A breakthrough came when dust and paint particles on the last four women revealed they’d been stored at an abandoned factory on Heron Trading Estate, where Bridget was found. Police began interviewing 7,000 estate employees.
THE SUSPECTS
One suspect emerged. Mungo Ireland, 46, was a security man who worked there for several weeks. But there was no evidence to link him to the crimes, and he had been working in Dundee at the time Bridget disappeared.
A rather sad character, he committed suicide a few weeks after Bridget was found and was never interviewed by police.
Detectives probed suspects including a dental surgeon, a mortuary assistant and the victims’ partners.
No evidence was found and the men who picked up Frances were never traced. But one suspect did raise major suspicions, a disgraced ex-detective. He had carried out burglaries to embarrass colleagues, who he felt victimised him. The cri were discovered, he lost his job an 1962 he was jailed for a year. A collea described him as “creep
This man, who is alive, became the pr suspect. He had lived police quarters near Heron Trading Estate, a grudge against police knew the areas where bodies were found.
Yet despite exten investigations, officers d a blank – no evidence him to the crimes.
ON MANHUNT THE KILLER
The killer stopped his spree a Bridget’s murder. The probe was rap