123-year-old Jack the Ripper files still censored by police

Files with the names of four Jack the Ripper suspects which could help solve the 123-year-old mystery are being censored by police. In a legal ruling, police documents relating to the Whitechapel Murders are being kept under lock and key on the grounds releasing them could threaten national security.

The Metropolitan Police claim the files include names of long-dead Victorian “supergrasses” who should never be made public. They say releasing the names could lead to living relatives being attacked and make it harder to recruit new informants, wrecking counter-terrorism operations. Thousands of pounds of ­taxpayers’ cash has been spent on legal hearings to block the release of the files.



But retired murder detective and author Trevor Marriott has launched a legal fight to force the police to release them. Trevor, who has written two books on the Ripper, found out about the files while doing research. He applied to see them but was shown an ­edited version with names blacked out.“These files should be made public at once,” he said. “They are some of the most interesting records on the case I’ve come across. Some of the informants died more than 100 years ago so to ­censor the ­documents is absurd.”

The 900-page dossier holds ­unseen evidence on the 1888 ­murders of the five East London ­prostitutes, ­including intriguing details about how Special Branch became involved. Det Supt Julian McKinney, head of Covert Operations at the Met, said: “An informant today, if they know in 100 years their ­identity will be given over, may not wish to co-operate with us.”