Descendants of Jack the Ripper’s victims are backing a legal application for a new inquest into the death of one of his victims, murdered in 1888.
The notorious London criminal killed at least five women in the Whitechapel area that year and was never caught. Now, nearly 140 years on, the victims’ families still hope to find the truth about the unsolved crimes.
A bloodstained shawl said to have been found on Catherine Eddowes’ body was discovered to have DNA of both the victim and Aaron Kosminski, a Polish barber who moved to the UK in the 1880s. It was purchased at an auction in 2007 by author and Ripper researcher Russell Edwards.
Police suspected Kosminski at the time, though he was never arrested as there was no evidence pointing towards his involvement. DNA testing had also not been invented until the 20th century.
Edwards has now hired a legal team to fight for an inquest on the grounds that there is further evidence for a coroner to consider about the circumstances of the death and crucially who was responsible.
The campaign has been backed by the descendants of both Ms Eddowes and Kosminski, who say it is time to unmask the true killer and get justice for the women involved, the MailOnline reported.
Karen Miller, 53, who is the three-times great-granddaughter of Ms Eddowes, provided her DNA, which matched her ancestor’s blood on the shawl.
She said: “The name Jack the Ripper has become sensationalised, it has gone down in history as this famous character. It has all been about him, this iconic name, but people have forgotten about the victims who did not have justice at the time.
“What about the real name of the person who did this? Having the real person legally named in a court which can consider all the evidence would be a form of justice for the victims. We have got the proof, now we need this inquest to legally name the killer.
“It would mean a lot to me, to my family, to a lot of people to finally have this crime solved.”
Kosminski’s descendants have also backed the campaign, with his three-times great-niece Amanda Poulos saying: ‘I’m more than happy to finally establish what really happened.”
When the original inquest was held on October 4, 1888, a verdict of “wilful murder” was returned.
At the time, police were still investigating the death, but Mr Edwards and descendants of some of the Ripper’s victims are reportedly convinced Aaron Kosminski was the culprit, according to MailOnline.
Legally, the Attorney General has to grant permission for an application to the High Court for a further inquest. Two years ago, this was refused by the then-Attorney General, saying there wasn’t sufficient evidence.
But barrister Dr Tim Sampson said that this set “a terrible precedent in relation to requests to reopen inquests involving the violent deaths of women and gives the impression that such matters are better brushed under the carpet”.
He has written to Attorney General Richard Hermer arguing there is new evidence to consider which if it had been available at the time “would have been justifiable for the coroner to charge and then seek to have Aaron Kosminski prosecuted for both the murder of Ms Eddowes and the other four victims”.
The other four victims of the gruesome killings included Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride and Mary Jane Kelly.