News reoprts today from Australia are full of the news that Ned Kellys bones have been identified using modern forensic tests from amongst 33 individuals buried in a mass grave on the site of a former prison. Kelly was executed in 1880 for multiple crimes including robbery and murder, key amongst these being the killing of three policeman who were trying to ambush Ned Kellys gang. The forensics used included DNA analysis as well as CT scans of the bones and comparisons to living relatives. The bones are being released to the family for appropriate reburial. This is interesting in its own right, highlighting the technological developments that have been made in the interveing period. It also ties in with another timely case, as it is 123 years ago today that Londoners were waking up to news of a grizzly find in the East End. In 1888 on 31st August one of the Worlds most famous killers began his or her murderous rampage.
This was also one of the earliest expressions of a media based conspiracy theory with all sorts of characters being suggested by the press and public, and many suspects questioned by police. In the modern era it is considered unusual for a killer to go undetected for long, and certainly not if the victims are found within hours of the crime, but back in the 1880's forensics was a relatively new science and analysis of crime scenes was rudimentary at best. What is clear is that the attacks were vicious and savage in the damage and mutilation caused to the bodies, and based on standard psychological profiling techniques looking at victims and patterns the killer was almost certainly male, probably in his mid 20's to mid 30's and almost certainly had a history of violence towards women.
Of course, given the time, violence towards women was commonplace so his earlier crimes may well have gone unreported, particularly if they, like his murders were carried out against prostitutes, violence being considered a hazard of the profession. It is extremely unlikely that forensic evidence will ever be found now to establish beyond doubt who Jack the Ripper really was, but for me, the mystery and the possibilities make interesting folklore and add a certain frisson to coffee table discussions comparing violence and crime then and now. Was Ned Kelly an anti-establishment revolutionary hero or a viscious criminal killer? Was Jack the Ripper a figure so prominent in London society that his exposure would have rocked the nation to its foundations? I guess we each have to make up our own minds about these things.....
This was also one of the earliest expressions of a media based conspiracy theory with all sorts of characters being suggested by the press and public, and many suspects questioned by police. In the modern era it is considered unusual for a killer to go undetected for long, and certainly not if the victims are found within hours of the crime, but back in the 1880's forensics was a relatively new science and analysis of crime scenes was rudimentary at best. What is clear is that the attacks were vicious and savage in the damage and mutilation caused to the bodies, and based on standard psychological profiling techniques looking at victims and patterns the killer was almost certainly male, probably in his mid 20's to mid 30's and almost certainly had a history of violence towards women.
Of course, given the time, violence towards women was commonplace so his earlier crimes may well have gone unreported, particularly if they, like his murders were carried out against prostitutes, violence being considered a hazard of the profession. It is extremely unlikely that forensic evidence will ever be found now to establish beyond doubt who Jack the Ripper really was, but for me, the mystery and the possibilities make interesting folklore and add a certain frisson to coffee table discussions comparing violence and crime then and now. Was Ned Kelly an anti-establishment revolutionary hero or a viscious criminal killer? Was Jack the Ripper a figure so prominent in London society that his exposure would have rocked the nation to its foundations? I guess we each have to make up our own minds about these things.....
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