Relative of brutally murdered mum demands inquest as serial killer's identity 'revealed'
Daily Mirror09-08-2025
Catherine Eddowes was the fourth victim of the infamous Jack the Ripper serial killer, who stalked the streets of east London in 1888
It is just a simple Victorian wishbone brooch, but for Sharon Dutton it is a link across the generations to her ancestor – and one of the most infamous series of murders in British history.
The piece of jewellery first belonged to Catherine Eddowes, a victim of Jack the Ripper and Sharon's great-great-great aunt.
It is also a constant reminder for Sharon of the fight for justice for Catherine, more than 130 years on.
'There needs to be closure on this case. For Catherine and for the other victims,' says Sharon, who is appealing to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper for help.
A recent legal application to the Attorney General to grant permission for a High Court bid for a further inquest has been refused due to the length of time and the fact no one could be prosecuted.
Sharon and author and Ripper researcher Russell Edwards had hoped for a new inquiry to shed light on the unsolved crimes.
Now, though, they are urging government intervention in a bid to gain formal recognition of the man they believe to be Jack the Ripper and finally see justice done.
'It's been like a thread running through our family. I feel very emotional about it. The case still casts a shadow and the scars have run from generation to generation,' says Sharon, from Wolverhampton.
The grandmother of two adds: 'Catherine met a terrible end, just like those other women. Yet the man who murdered them has almost become a celebrity.
'The story is always all about him. That has to stop.'
For Russell, a new inquiry would be the chance to present what he believes is new evidence of the identity of the suspect – Aaron Kosminski.
In 2007, Russell bought a bloodstained shawl said to have been found on Catherine's body at Mitre Square in the City of London.
DNA testing revealed a match for her and Kosminski.
The Polish barber had been a suspect in the original inquiry but was never arrested. He was placed in an asylum in 1891 after attacking his sister and died in 1919.
'The Ripper industry perpetuates a myth which is wrong. I believe we know who he is and that identity should be recognised,' says Russell.
Campaign barrister Dr Tim Sampson adds: 'It's very disappointing. I also struggle to understand why a case of such immense historical significance should not be looked at by the coroner simply because of the passage of time. There is no statutory time bar.'
For Sharon, it is the latest twist in an old family secret.
She says: 'My mum told me about Catherine's brooch some years ago when she was poorly.
'She told me who she believed it had belonged to and what had happened, and said I had to keep it safe. I couldn't believe it.'
Catherine was born in 1842 in Wolverhampton, one of 12 children, and the family moved to London. By 1857, though, both her parents had died and as an orphan she moved back to the Midlands.
By 1868, she was a mother of three and had moved to London with her partner, Thomas Conway.
Her relationship with Thomas foundered though and in later years Catherine eked out a living as a domestic servant and seamstress.
As times became harder, she may also have resorted to sex work to earn enough for a bed for the night. But later partner John Kelly testified at her inquest she 'never lived by immoral purposes'. Late on September 29, 1888, Catherine – described at her inquest as a 'jolly woman, always singing' – was taken to a police station after being found tipsy in the street.
After being freed, police found her in the early hours mutilated and disembowelled. She is now recognised as the fourth of the Ripper's five victims.
'Nobody deserves an end like that. And even after all these years her murder is still felt by the family,' says Sharon.
'When I was a child I used to have terrible recurring nightmares. I dreamed a man had got me, he had something on my face, like a cloth and I was paralysed with my mouth and nose burning. Just like what had happened to Catherine.
'It was horrible. I can only assume I had picked up little bits of the story when I visited my gran and perhaps I overheard her talking about the murder.'
Sharon says she understands why people are still fascinated by the story and has even gone on a Ripper tour herself. 'When I was on the walk we reached the place where they had found Catherine's body and I just went cold.
'She was being portrayed as a prostitute and I had to put my hand up and tell the guide I was a relative and I believed she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
'It's terrible, too, that Catherine and the other victims have the photos from their murders or postmortems all over the internet for everyone to see.'
For Russell, who runs history tours of the Whitechapel area where the Ripper operated, a formal recognition of Kosminki as the culprit will mark the climax of 25 years' work on the case. His interest was triggered after watching the 2001 film about the killings, From Hell, starring Johnny Depp and Ian Holm.
He visited the National Archives in Kew to look at the original paperwork, convinced the original inquiry had missed something.
After years of research, the auction of the silk shawl opened up new lines of inquiry after scientists at John Moores University in Liverpool found links to Kosminski and Catherine.
Russell, originally from the Wirral, Merseyside, says: 'I was talking to some French visitors recently and they thought that Jack the Ripper was just a story, that he wasn't real. But he was very real and I think we have nailed him as Aaron Kosminki. Now we need to have that formally accepted.'
The other victims of the killer were Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride – murdered on the same night as Catherine – and Mary Jane Kelly.
The name Jack the Ripper derived from a letter from someone claiming to be the murderer and sent to the local press.
Its authenticity is still disputed.
It is just a simple Victorian wishbone brooch, but for Sharon Dutton it is a link across the generations to her ancestor – and one of the most infamous series of murders in British history.
The piece of jewellery first belonged to Catherine Eddowes, a victim of Jack the Ripper and Sharon's great-great-great aunt.
It is also a constant reminder for Sharon of the fight for justice for Catherine, more than 130 years on.
'There needs to be closure on this case. For Catherine and for the other victims,' says Sharon, who is appealing to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper for help.
A recent legal application to the Attorney General to grant permission for a High Court bid for a further inquest has been refused due to the length of time and the fact no one could be prosecuted.
Sharon and author and Ripper researcher Russell Edwards had hoped for a new inquiry to shed light on the unsolved crimes.
Now, though, they are urging government intervention in a bid to gain formal recognition of the man they believe to be Jack the Ripper and finally see justice done.
'It's been like a thread running through our family. I feel very emotional about it. The case still casts a shadow and the scars have run from generation to generation,' says Sharon, from Wolverhampton.
The grandmother of two adds: 'Catherine met a terrible end, just like those other women. Yet the man who murdered them has almost become a celebrity.
'The story is always all about him. That has to stop.'
For Russell, a new inquiry would be the chance to present what he believes is new evidence of the identity of the suspect – Aaron Kosminski.
In 2007, Russell bought a bloodstained shawl said to have been found on Catherine's body at Mitre Square in the City of London.
DNA testing revealed a match for her and Kosminski.
The Polish barber had been a suspect in the original inquiry but was never arrested. He was placed in an asylum in 1891 after attacking his sister and died in 1919.
'The Ripper industry perpetuates a myth which is wrong. I believe we know who he is and that identity should be recognised,' says Russell.
Campaign barrister Dr Tim Sampson adds: 'It's very disappointing. I also struggle to understand why a case of such immense historical significance should not be looked at by the coroner simply because of the passage of time. There is no statutory time bar.'
For Sharon, it is the latest twist in an old family secret.
She says: 'My mum told me about Catherine's brooch some years ago when she was poorly.
'She told me who she believed it had belonged to and what had happened, and said I had to keep it safe. I couldn't believe it.'
Catherine was born in 1842 in Wolverhampton, one of 12 children, and the family moved to London. By 1857, though, both her parents had died and as an orphan she moved back to the Midlands.
By 1868, she was a mother of three and had moved to London with her partner, Thomas Conway.
Her relationship with Thomas foundered though and in later years Catherine eked out a living as a domestic servant and seamstress.
As times became harder, she may also have resorted to sex work to earn enough for a bed for the night. But later partner John Kelly testified at her inquest she 'never lived by immoral purposes'. Late on September 29, 1888, Catherine – described at her inquest as a 'jolly woman, always singing' – was taken to a police station after being found tipsy in the street.
After being freed, police found her in the early hours mutilated and disembowelled. She is now recognised as the fourth of the Ripper's five victims.
'Nobody deserves an end like that. And even after all these years her murder is still felt by the family,' says Sharon.
'When I was a child I used to have terrible recurring nightmares. I dreamed a man had got me, he had something on my face, like a cloth and I was paralysed with my mouth and nose burning. Just like what had happened to Catherine.
'It was horrible. I can only assume I had picked up little bits of the story when I visited my gran and perhaps I overheard her talking about the murder.'
Sharon says she understands why people are still fascinated by the story and has even gone on a Ripper tour herself. 'When I was on the walk we reached the place where they had found Catherine's body and I just went cold.
'She was being portrayed as a prostitute and I had to put my hand up and tell the guide I was a relative and I believed she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
'It's terrible, too, that Catherine and the other victims have the photos from their murders or postmortems all over the internet for everyone to see.'
For Russell, who runs history tours of the Whitechapel area where the Ripper operated, a formal recognition of Kosminki as the culprit will mark the climax of 25 years' work on the case. His interest was triggered after watching the 2001 film about the killings, From Hell, starring Johnny Depp and Ian Holm.
He visited the National Archives in Kew to look at the original paperwork, convinced the original inquiry had missed something.
After years of research, the auction of the silk shawl opened up new lines of inquiry after scientists at John Moores University in Liverpool found links to Kosminski and Catherine.
Russell, originally from the Wirral, Merseyside, says: 'I was talking to some French visitors recently and they thought that Jack the Ripper was just a story, that he wasn't real. But he was very real and I think we have nailed him as Aaron Kosminki. Now we need to have that formally accepted.'
The other victims of the killer were Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride – murdered on the same night as Catherine – and Mary Jane Kelly.
The name Jack the Ripper derived from a letter from someone claiming to be the murderer and sent to the local press.
Its authenticity is still disputed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
NI man allegedly stamped on girlfriend's head and pulled out clump of her hair in Valentine's Day assault
A Co Derry man allegedly stamped on his girlfriend's head and pulled out a clump of her hair as part of a Valentine's Day assault, the High Court heard today. Michael McDermott, 36, is also accused of kicking the woman repeatedly during the alcohol-fuelled attack.
Economist
2 hours ago
- Economist
Gangs are using increasingly sophisticated kit to steal cars
IMAGINE MEETING a seasoned British car thief in 2013. They would probably have cut a sorry figure. Every year of their career, the grind had got harder. The tools of their trade, such as a coat hanger or 'slim jim' (a flat metal strip) for bypassing locks and strippers for manipulating ignition wires, had, slowly but surely, been rendered obsolete, thanks to improved security technology. Business had dried up.
Economist
2 hours ago
- Economist
How thieves could break into your car
Britain | Manufacturers v thieves Photograph: Getty Images I MAGINE MEETING a seasoned British car thief in 2013. They would probably have cut a sorry figure. Every year of their career, the grind had got harder. The tools of their trade, such as a coat hanger or 'slim jim' (a flat metal strip) for bypassing locks and strippers for manipulating ignition wires, had, slowly but surely, been rendered obsolete, thanks to improved security technology. Business had dried up. Cars, phones, tractors: how high-end products are increasingly stolen to serve distant markets The truth will catch up with you, but will readers want to hear it? Football is becoming nerdier The rise of the revolutionary retiree Blame declining confidence, a lack of convenience and rising complacency
