To think that serial killers can’t exist these days?

[Snooks1971]

Or actually get away with murder enough to become a serial killer maybe I should say. Just finished Night Stalker on Netflix, which made me think about this, although I’ve thought along these lines before. Have always been fascinated with Jack The Ripper after visiting Madame Tussaud’s as a young teen (late 40s now).

I haven’t googled any facts and I’m just an armchair observer, but surely with mobile phones, cctv, forensic developments, tech interfaces actually talking to each other this wouldn’t be possible now.

Then I wonder how many serial killers from the past that we have never of who must have got away with it. Makes my mind boggle a bit.

Actually the sexism isn't unbelievable as we are talking late 70s / early 80s. It's just unbelievably sexist, looking at it through our 21st century eyes.

Still shocking, looking back and seeing how bad things were in the Jimmy Saville era.

Yes definitely ,and the whole innocent and non innocent victims ,they wasted so much time with the Wear side Jack hoax too.

@x2boys

Yes definitely ,and the whole innocent and non innocent victims ,they wasted so much time with the Wear side Jack hoax too.

I think a lot of that came down to male arrogance as well.

The officer in charge couldn't/wouldn't bring himself to admit hat he'd made a mistake, even when it became obvious.

Yes definitely ,and the whole innocent and non innocent victims

I've just finished watching the Ripper and this really struck me too. Taking a life is taking a life.

Some of the victims who were labelled prostitutes by the police weren't even prostitutes, they just lived lifestyles that women weren't expected to live in those days.

Yes they were so disrespectful of the " non innocent" victims I was a small child in the late 70,s early 80,s I know nothing about the welfare state at the time but it can't have been pleasent being a single mum at the time a lot of those women would just have being doing what they had to ,to survive and feed their kids ,there was a clip of a young prostitute being interviewed and her mum was with her and the reporter said how can you let your daughter do this or words to that affect and she said well it's a living ,what really struck me was when of the " young " coppers of the time was interviewed years later and he was given £15 expanses to take one of the victims ( who survived) out he was really rude about her and said it cost him £78 that night .

@x2boys

It isn't really that long ago. I know things aren't perfect now but they are so much better than the 70s (low bar, I know). I'm glad that things like Jimmy Saville are coming out, more to come too I think.

I know it's only 40 or so years ago which is nothing really but I don't think well I hope people like saville etc wouldn't be able to get away with things now .

Same here @x2boys but then I think of how the victims of the grooming gangs have been treated in the not too distant past. Things are better than they were when the Ripper was killing but there is still a lot of work to do.

I should imagine that there are many, many vulnerable people - drug addicts, homeless, those with no family, prostitutes etc - who are perfect victims because nobody misses them when they're gone, they simply disappear. Peter Sutcliffe went for prostitutes for this reason, and it was only when he mistakenly picked a 'respectable' (sorry, you know what I mean) woman that it led to his capture. And then there was the Ipswich serial killer who also targeted prostitutes. We probably only hear about those who target the kind of people other people miss.

I watched the Pembrokeshire murders program, interviewing the investigating officers and forensic expert. It was fascinating to see what advances in investigating and forensic techniques have been made from the late 80's to when they were reinvestigating from 2006 to 2009. But even so, if they hadn't had a suspect in mind and been able to link the murders and assaults via him, he could have got away with it and been released to kill again.

The most chilling serial killer, in my opinion, is Jack Unterweger. He was a 'hiding in plain sight' killer. Went to prison for murder in the 70s, wrote his 'autobiography' and on his release in 1990 he became a celebrity because of his rehabilitation . He became a news reporter and reported on the murders for which he was subsequently convicted.

I want to believe it couldn't happen again but I swear the culture of celebrity is so strong, and society's fascination with criminals so powerful (see 'hot felon') that it seems almost inevitable. People just don't want to believe the evidence of their own eyes.

@Dugee

I watched the Yorkshire Ripper doc not that long ago and was just so shocked and saddened by the way the case was handled. I really felt for man who was the son of one of the victims. Very sad for all those affected by the ripper.

Richard, son of Wilma McCann? Richard and Sonia realised their mother wasn't home and went out to look for her (they were 5 and 6 years old at the time). Sonia later took her own life. The victims had 25 children between them, all horrifically traumatised.

So sad. And the police at the time fucked up the investigation so badly, and basically couldn't give a shit because they classed the women as prostitutes and therefore fair game. Not all white women are equal in the eyes of the law.