The Cambridge rapist

[NapoleonsToe]

Don't know if anyone here remembers the Cambridge rapist? I was a young teenager living in Cambridge during the time he was active and remember the terror of those times vividly.

Fifty years on and I wonder how many people know how he evaded capture and was able to attack at least 10 women? By impersonating a woman of course. He moved about dressed in women's clothes, and was finally arrested wearing a long wig and carrying women's clothes. It was then, and still is, the perfect disguise for an abuser isn't it.

Interestingly, he became 'Janet' in prison in the 80s, wearing women's underwear and clothes. He wanted a transfer to a women's prison and said "My feelings are up and up to those of a female". He calculated that by pretending to be a woman he would no longer be considered a risk to women, could go to the female prison and would be granted parole more easily.

How did we get to where we are now when men like Peter Cook gave such a clear warning?

I remember. I was a 19 year old second year student living in a small college house down a quiet back street. It backed onto an unobserved stretch of the river. In spring I could watch ducklings guddle about.

Our women-only college told us we were prime targets. We were encouraged to pair up and sleep two to a room for safety. Though as the months wore on that largely lapsed.

I was terrified. I hardly slept the whole time I was there while he was at large. For months, as I recall.

In my final year I knew a graduate psychology student who spent some of her time at the mental hospital there. She told me that some of Cook’s victims might never leave institutional care.

Horrific. This article says he was born with a rare genetic disorder that made him part man, part woman.

www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/downloads/pg15bd981

@WaterThyme those poor women! Was there something specific that traumatised them to such a degree? I had to look him up, I’m a bit too young to have heard of him. My era was scared of the Yorkshire Ripper.

Arsehole men, terrifying successive generations of women.

Rare genetic disorder my arse.

This.

He was male enough to be a predator and a rapist. And male enough to know that pretending to be a woman would make evading capture so much easier. And as for wanting access to women in prison.....

His poor victims.

I don’t know what he did to them @myplace. My friend was there in a professional capacity and couldn’t give details. Or didn’t want to give me nightmares.

I remember this vividly. I was Just married and we lived on Maids Causeway opposite Midsummer Common. New husband worked in London and didn't get back until nearly 8. The attacks were pretty random and terrifying and of course rumours were off the scale.
The only thing the police had to go on was that he was short. A friend of mine, out at night was stopped and questioned. He asked why, since he was 6ft 3 but the police said any male out alone at night was a potential suspect. They were pretty desperate.

According to Wikipedia he wore a mask he stitched from an old leather shopping bag. The zipper-mouthed mask had the word "rapist" painted in white across the forehead. Those poor women.

I was an undergrad in 95 so I remember Anne Campbell (successfully) campaigning to prevent him being released or moved to low security at the time but I've never really read the details. I just had a quick google and they are horrific. Those poor, poor women. FWIW he clearly did have some medical issue as he had breasts removed earlier in life (according to the source above) but the rest of his behaviour is entirely that of a aggressive and violent man, with escalating offences. They were pre-planned too, with his victims targeted and researched. I can't believe it was ever suggested that he be paroled, and the idea of him being anywhere near the female prison estate is unthinkable.

I very much hope the future of his victims ended up brighter than thought in the 1980s.

I can't look up details but I did have to Google quickly and it is with relief I learn this arsehole is dead.

My mum was in her early 20s and living in Cambridge when he was active. He broke into her halls of residence and tried to get into the room of the girl who lived next door to her. She always felt she had a very lucky escape.

Despite knowing this, and knowing that he wore women's clothes, and used this to help avoid capture, my (gay) idiot brother is still adamant that TWAW...

I was only a child when this man was active, so I hadn't heard of him. This is the wiki

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Samuel_Cook

No mention of a dsd.

I can't believe that Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood did that. I literally feel sick.

I'd never heard of the guy, I wonder why....

I read one of the links, so that's the mystery of Suzy Lamplugh's disappearance solved. He was Mr. Kipper.

What an utter creep. Thank fuck he's dead. In hell I hope.

This is why I posted. The free pass that dressing as a woman gives to abusers.

What?! Are you saying Peter Cook took Suzy Lamplugh? Or have I misunderstood?

I think you might have misread it. John Cannan was the creature who was believed to have been responsible for Suzy Lamplugh’s disappearance.

He was a very strange man. There was a programme on him a little while ago where he’d filmed one of those traditional dating videos, making out that he was really posh and highly educated, but he’d used the wrong word for something.

I can't believe that Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood did that. I literally feel sick.

Yes, that was a particularly jolting detail.

I had never heard of him.