A legal case is currently being fought out which could have huge implications for the infamous Jack the Ripper story. Ripperologist Trevor Marriott is fighting Scotland Yard in court to have its 123 year old Ripper case files opened and potentially giving modern day investigators a huge amount of information as to the real identity of the killer.
The argument posed by Scotland Yard is that by disclosing the details of the four ledgers currently under lock and key would undermine the system they rely on which enables informants to disclose information with absolute anonymity. If Trevor Marriott wins the case it will be a victory for Ripperologists who have been coming up with numerous theories for who they think the killer is over the years, but it will also be a blow to the confidence of a potential informant who could help with police enquiries.
The case doesnt look to be resolved until the latter part of 2011 but if it does go the way of Trevor Marriott and we get closer to finding out who Jack the Ripper really was, what will Ripperologists argue about in future? A cottage industry has been built around the gruesome story of what happened in the Autum of 1888 in London’s East End – Jack the Ripper walking tours, books and crime conferences have contributed to making this case one of the most famous of all time.