Laid Bare

The Nude Murders and the Hunt for 'Jack the Stripper'

Between 1959 and 1965, eight murders were carried out in and around west London. The victims, all of whom were prostitutes, were asphyxiated. The murders were linked: the last six were all carried out in the space of 12 months. The press dubbed the murderer "Jack the Stripper" on account of the fact that the victims were all stripped naked. The legendary Scotland Yard investigator Detective Chief Superintendent John Du Rose was brought in to orchestrate the enquiry. Du Rose flooded the night-time capital with police officers in plain clothes, while women police officers were dressed as prostitutes and carried out dangerous decoy patrols. Of the 1,700 potential suspects interviewed, the number was whittled down to 26—and then to one. But before Du Rose could interview him, the man committed suicide and the investigation was closed down. However, was this man "Jack the Stripper?" Author Dick Kirby, a former Flying Squad detective himself, has used his vast experience and contacts at Scotland Yard to reexamine the case, more commonly known as "The Nude Murders," 50 years on.