Having spent some time looking at my mother’s life and in particular her time from 1961 onwards in Notting Hill, I have inevitably had cause to ponder Jack The Stripper and the nude murders. At least six west London prostitutes died in a bizarre series of mid-sixties sex slayings but the killer was never caught. I have always been more interested in the victims than their murderer(s), but I felt it worth commenting on a recent book that claimed to identify the killer. My focus in this review was on the author of this travesty, since he made a number of outrageous claims without any proof to back them up. You can read my review here. Despite this, via the mail form on my website, I get a fair number of messages about Jack The Stripper. Indeed, I got one yesterday that read:
“Nude Murders. Dear Stewart, would you be interested in discussing this subject with me. I believe that 2 people were responsible for these murders. The first is Mungo Ireland, the second Harold Jones, a near neighbour of Ireland. Google Neil Milkins for more info on Jones. Neil Milkins.”
Mungo Ireland is one of the usual suspects put in the frame for the Jack The Stripper murders, alongside the likes of boxing champion Freddie Mills. I hadn’t heard of Harold Jones before. After doing a web search I discovered Jones had been convicted of killing two children in 1921 when he was himself only 15 years-old. Milkins has produced a book about the case entitled Every Mother’s Nightmare: Abertillery in Mourning (Old Bakehouse Publications 2008) and as The South Wales News of 8 November 2007 explained: “After many years of researching the subject, Mr Milkins threw himself whole-heartedly into the project after leaving his job as a tree-feller due to an injury.” When I checked yesterday, the book only had one Amazon review, but it was enthusiastic and gave a 5 star rating:
“Kevin Milkins (Wick/Scotland). I have just finished reading my brother’s first book and found it a great and informative read. Well done Neil for turning an interesting factual story into print for all of us to share. Can hardly wait for your next book.”
My web searches also revealed that Neil Milkins had drummed up some local newspaper coverage for his Jack The Stripper theories. For example, the Hounslow Chronicle ran the following under the headline “Author uncovers new suspect in sixties murder mystery” on 26 August 2008:
“While the hedonists of the King’s Road were preoccupied with the swinging sixties, a grim orgy of killing was taking place just a few kilometres to the west.
“A serial killer obsessed with prostitutes murdered six, possibly eight, young women between 1964 and 1965, dumping their naked and mutilated bodies on the banks of the River Thames. His heinous acts earned him the moniker Jack the Stripper – but he was never caught.
“Now the dormant investigation has been given a boost after the name of a notorious Welsh double-child murderer was put in the frame for the killings.
“Harold Jones was aged 15 when he was convicted of killing two girls, aged eight and 11, in Abertillery, Wales. He served 20 years for his crime and was released in 1941 and moved to Fulham.
“We know he was living in Hestercombe Avenue, Fulham, as Harry Stevens until 1962, said author Neil Milkins, who conducted research into Jones’ movements for his book Every Mother’s Nightmare.
“The next record is from 1965 when he is living in Aldensley Road, Hammersmith, as Harry Jones. But his whereabouts during the years of the killings is unknown. I don’t know that he was involved in the murders, but it is certain a psychopath with the capability of committing callous crimes and covering them up was around the area.
“Mr Milkins examined Jones’ psychologist and prison reports at the National Archives Centre, in Kew, before handing his suspicions over to Scotland Yards murder review team.
“But Neil insists: The coincidence of Harold Jones being there just jumped out at me and I’m hoping people come forward with more information on him where he worked, who he associated with and the kind of person he was. I want to find out where he was between 1962-65, the answer to that may answer a whole lot of other questions.
“Harold Jones died in Hammersmith in 1971, his death certificate names him as Harold Jones, otherwise Harry Stevens.”
Moving on from this newspaper report, I happen to know that Milkins is an Irish name, whereas Malkin is an English name, and these two surnames have quite distinct origins. Nonetheless, some people might be struck by the similarity between Neil Milkins’ surname and the name Malkin, and then read something into the fact that malkin was a slang term for a lewd woman in Elizabethan and Jacobean London. For an example of the word malkin being used in this fashion we might turn to Father Hubburd’s Tales by Thomas Middleton: “and none can justly except me but some riotous vomiting Kit or some gentleman-swallowing Malkin.” (Thomas Middleton: The Collected Works edited by Gary Taylor and John Lavagnino, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2007, page 166; the tale we’re dealing with was first published in 1604). A kit is, of course, a loose woman… but the phrase ‘some gentleman-swallowing Malkin’ is the one that really gets me going, since it might be taken to mean a prostitute doing ‘French’ (i.e. performing oral sex, giving head, providing a blow job etc.). It is thought Jack The Stripper killed his victims by suffocating them with his manhood as they gave him oral sex…
A lot can be (mis)read into the fact that Neil Milkins’ Irish surname sounds similar to the unrelated English name Malkin. Likewise it may appear curious that a Welsh double-murderer seems to have been living in west London when the Jack The Stripper murders took place, but given the size of the population in the area at the time it is unlikely he is the only psychopath who might be put in the frame for the killings on the basis of past record. I haven’t seen anything that convincingly links Harold Jones to these unsolved crimes. And for me the victims are still of greater interest than the killer… To finish, f you want an example of a contemporary Malkin whose reputation is considerably lower than that of a Whitefriars punk, then right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin fits the bill….
And while you’re at it don’t forget to check – www.stewarthomesociety.org – you know it makes (no) sense!
Comments
Comment by Kate Muir on 2009-02-05 11:39:59 +0000
Oh I’m not so up on all these minor writers like Middleton but don’t forget that immortal line of The Bard: “Get thee to a nunnery gone”, meaning to a brothel…
Comment by mistertrippy on 2009-02-05 11:53:57 +0000
Thanks Katie, you’ve illustrated very nicely why I have such problems with shitheads like you. Middleton isn’t minor, and in fact knowing the likes of Middleton, Nashe and Greene gives you a better understanding of Shakespeare. As is footnoted in the “Complete Middleton”: “Whitefriars nunnery, previously a monastic precinct just east of Inner Temple. Although the church had been pulled down, the privilege of sanctuary from officers of the law continued, so the area attracted prostitutes and criminals, hence the slang usage of ‘nunnery’ = ‘brothel’.” Which is also why the Elizabethan London slang term ‘punk’ for a female prostitute is often conjoined with the word Whitefriars in literature of that period, indicating a prostitute from a specific part of London….
Comment by Patrick Garrett on 2009-02-05 12:50:37 +0000
Some cross-biting babe just took me back to her place on Turnmill Street and before we got to make the beast with two backs her husband burst in and relieved me of all my money before throwing me only partially clothed into the street…
Comment by Menopausal Stoners on 2009-02-05 12:58:03 +0000
If Granny was only one thing in her life, it was a Floosie for sure. Some dictionaries overstate the definition of Floosie – one online dictionary even uses the term “skank” which is, of course, absolutely untrue. Floosies are simply Loose with their Favors, that’s all. And why be uptight about sex? As long as a person is safe, responsible and doesn’t toy with other people’s feelings, the number of partners a woman has during her life is her own prerogative.
Granny always had lots of admirers – and lots of husbands. It was a scandal back then, and as it happens, I caused a bit of a scandal myself during my divorce crazies. I’m glad I’m more like my grandmother than my mother who announced this weekend that she still considers Bill Clinton a pervert for getting a blow job. The look my father and I exchanged after her comment spoke volumes, but neither of us said a word. It’s unwise to contradict my mother when she’s on to the third glass of wine and making moral decrees.
All this thinking has led to another point on the Menopausal Stoner Manifesto: Embrace your Inner Floosie. Loosen up. Life is short; Gather ye rosebuds, etcetera.
Comment by Moll Flanders on 2009-02-05 16:28:56 +0000
Better to be an honest whore like me than a warped patriarchal cretin like Jack The Stripper…..
Comment by Moll Cutpurse on 2009-02-05 16:40:21 +0000
Give me a rapist or a murderer of walking morts and I’ll take him by the yard and make him shorter!
Comment by Arthur Daly on 2009-02-05 16:59:39 +0000
Nonces like Jack The Stripper give ordinary decent criminals a bad name, they cannot be tolerated!
Comment by THE PLAGIARIST on 2009-02-05 17:04:06 +0000
Boom boom!
Comment by Phyllis The Floozie on 2009-02-05 18:05:37 +0000
“No man can be trusted,” my mother told me “While I was still breastfeeding you, your rat-bag father went off with the floozie who worked in the pub.”
Now I am the floozie that works in the pub… that bitch of a mother should never have called me Electra, terrible name, I changed it as soon as I ran away from home….
Comment by Nell Gwyn on 2009-02-05 20:02:31 +0000
Having grown up in a bawdy house I can assure you it is only prejudice that allows serial killers who prey on prostitutes to get away with their dastardly acts for so long.
Comment by Jack The Stripper on 2009-02-05 20:45:35 +0000
Hey you’ve got me all wrong. I’m just a regular guy who helps people restore doors and other things. I’ll even give you my address: Jack The Stripper, 8 The Green, TWICKENHAM. I can give help & advice on a gentle strip & polish! I do door, metal & furniture stripping. I also buy and sell furniture and doors. And I repair, sand & seal floors. Reclaimed woods bought & sold. Established over 25 years.
Comment by Malkin Construction on 2009-02-05 20:53:46 +0000
The Malkin family has been in the building industry for over 40 years, offering construction services for homes and businesses, based on quality and reliability.
Over the years we have constantly been building our reputation for excellence in everything that we do.
Today Malkin are predominately involved with large prestigious domestic and commercial new build developments where attention to detail are key at every level of the build.
Comment by The Inauthentic Evgeni Malkin on 2009-02-05 20:57:40 +0000
It’s all about sport and I’m loving it now I’m with the Pitsburgh Penguins. And the great thing about ice hockey is that if someone messes with you then you got this huge stick to beat them with.
Comment by Malkin Clocks on 2009-02-05 21:00:59 +0000
Here at Malkin Clocks, we have been making authentic reproductions of traditional clock designs for over twenty years. Based in Uttoxeter in central England, we also undertake repair and reconditioning of all kinds of antique clocks.
Comment by Malkin Electrical on 2009-02-05 21:02:52 +0000
Richard Malkin, Electrical Contractor, 27 Heath Road, Glossop, Derbyshire, SK13 7BA, England.
Comment by Steve Davies on 2009-02-05 21:24:18 +0000
Yeah, I remember the book being featured in the local paper. Check out the comments, bless him, he’s got the Milkins kids publicising it too!
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/search/1869777.Chilling_double_murder_book_set_for_release/
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/search/2279464.Valleys_murder_book_goes_on_sale/
I haven’t read his book but I hope it’s better than ‘Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths In Newport’ (not by Milkins) which also features the case…
Comment by Msmarmitelover on 2009-02-05 22:27:57 +0000
Very interesting post Mr Trippy.
Do you think this man may have had some dealings with your mother?
Comment by Harold P. Brown on 2009-02-06 02:25:46 +0000
Is something burning?
Comment by Msmarmitelover on 2009-02-06 10:01:37 +0000
BRIEFING on the POLICING AND CRIME BILL 2009
Aspects relating to prostitution
We urge you to oppose Clauses 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, & 25 at Second Reading today, 19 January. The measures target anyone involved in prostitution whether or not there is force or coercion. They would drive prostitution further underground and sex workers into even more danger.
CLAUSE 13: “Paying for sexual services of a prostitute controlled for gain.”
- Clients face “a hefty fine and a criminal record” through no fault of their own. Paying for sexual services will be a strict liability offence, committed regardless of whether the client “is, or ought to be, aware that any of [the sex worker’s] activities are controlled for gain.”
- Any sex worker who receives help may be considered “controlled for gain”. The Bill defines it as “an activity which is controlled by [a person who is not the sex worker or client] in the expectation of gain” — no force or coercion needs to be proved. A co-worker, receptionist (usually referred to as maid), partner, even a taxi driver may be considered to be “controlling for gain”.
- Safe premises are already being targeted. In December, police raided premises in Soho threatening receptionists with being charged with “controlling prostitution for gain”. (See separate statements.) Research shows that it is 10 times safer to work indoors than on the street. Receptionists are sex workers first line of defence against violent attacks and exploitation. If they are prosecuted women will be left to work alone. Who will such criminalisation benefit?
- Trafficking figures are flawed. Trafficking has been used as the main justification for these proposals. But the UK charge of trafficking for prostitution, unlike trafficking for any other industry, does not require force or coercion. This enables every woman with a foreign accent to be falsely labelled a victim of trafficking! The widely used claim that “80% of women working in the sex industry in the UK have been trafficked” was recently discredited on a Radio Four programme[1]: even if 80% of women working in brothels, saunas and massage parlours are not British, “foreign does mean forced”. In response to questions by John McDonnell MP, the Home Office has disowned these figures. And its latest estimate that 4,000 women are trafficked into the UK a year cannot be verified as the Home Office claims they come from an “internal Home Office document”.
CLAUSE 15: Soliciting is persistent “if it takes place twice over a period of three months”. - Such soliciting would more appropriately be described as occasional. To call it persistent shows an intention to criminalise. It makes a mockery of the abolition of the term common prostitute (Clause 15 (2) (a)) as it will bring no reduction in the number of women arrested.
- Criminal records prevent women from getting out of prostitution. Women end up institutionalised as they cannot get other jobs, even when they are qualified for them.
- Criminalisation breaks up families. Mothers end up in jail separated from their children, with disastrous consequences first of all for the children.
CLAUSE 16: Compulsory “rehabilitation” under threat of imprisonment.
This was thrown out of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill a year ago. Why bring it back? Anyone arrested for loitering or soliciting would have to attend three meetings with a supervisor approved by the court. It is not an alternative to a fine as failure to comply may result in a summons back to court and 72-hours in jail. Women could end up on a treadmill of broken supervision meetings, court orders and imprisonment. Imprisoning women goes against recommendations of the widely respected Corston report (March 2007)
CLAUSE 18: Soliciting “another for the purpose of obtaining sexual services”.
The only safeguard against false arrest would be removed. Kerb-crawling is an offence if it is “persistent”. Removing the requirement to prove “persistence, annoyance or nuisance” would increase police powers to arrest anyone on ‘sus’. Victims of institutionalised police racism and other prejudice are likely to be targeted. With a conviction rate for reported rape at a shameful 6%, why isn’t rape being prioritised over prostitution?
CLAUSE 20: Extending closure orders to brothels - This charge is modeled on “crack house closures” which has been condemned by Release as “insidious”, based on “tenuous evidence in which hearsay evidence is admissible.” Like ASBOs, Closure Orders are part of civil proceedings, but breach of an order is a criminal offence carrying a six month prison sentence. Release’s found that “the court will never refuse a police application for a Closure Order.” They have witnessed “numerous cases where vulnerable people become displaced, eventually homeless and face the threat of criminal charges.”
- Most brothels are small self-help ventures. The word brothel conjures up images of big exploitative establishments, yet by law two prostitute women sharing premises to work constitute a brothel. Many women prefer to work in small self-run brothels because they offer greater safety, companionship and lower running expenses. Working indoors is 10 times safer than working on the street. Even Fiona McTaggert admits that. In January 2005, as Home Office Minister, she announced that two women should be able to work together from premises. Why has this been dropped in favour of punitive measures that drive women out of premises?
CLAUSE 25: Lap-dancing to be reclassified as “sex encounter establishments”.
This would increase the cost of licensing and the stigma. Lap-dancers have described working collectively with other women with good safety systems, and earning more than they would in other jobs. Is this what the government finds objectionable? (See statement below.)
Proceeds of Crime – Profiteering from raids and the prosecution of sex workers. Since the Proceeds of Crime Act, raids have become profitable: the police keep 25% of any assets confiscated both at the time and from subsequent prosecutions; the Crown Prosecution Service keeps another 25%; and the Inland Revenue the rest. It is common for police to seize any money found on premises they raid. Even if no one is charged, the money is rarely returned as police take advantage of sex workers’ reluctance to go public. Women who have worked for years to put money aside lose not only their livelihood but their home, car, life savings, jewellery, etc. This theft by law enforcement is the worst form of pimping. We believe it is a main reason why anti-prostitution raids are now high up on the police and government agenda.
Forcing Prostitution Further Underground Endangers Lives. The proposals claim to offer protection and safety, and “support those involved in prostitution to develop routes out”. They do not. As the economic recession hits, more women, especially mothers, are likely to resort to prostitution to support their families. If prostitution is forced further underground women will be exposed to greater dangers and be less able to come forward to get help. In Scotland, since clients were criminalised in October 2007, the number of assaults on sex workers has soared. Attacks reported to one project have almost doubled from 66 in 2006 to 126 last year, including eight reported rapes and 55 violent assaults.
English Collective of Prostitutes
230a Kentish Town Road, London, NW5 2AB, Tel: 020 7482 2496, 07811 964 171, ecp@allwomencount.net http://www.prostitutescollective.net
Comment by mistertrippy on 2009-02-06 10:36:19 +0000
Neil Milkins is more likely to have had dealings with some of my mother’s family than her since he does true crime research… I hope she didn’t encountered Jack The Ripper – the are some suspicious aspects to her death but that was in 1979 and she was found indoors… And thanks Steve for extra leads on the Milkin family publicity machine.
Comment by Confused of Cherry Valley Constituency on 2009-02-06 12:18:47 +0000
Hey talking of Ray Jones, I just discovered that he was the guy who went into NEMS in Liverpool and asked for ‘My Bonnie’ by The Beatles leading Brian Epstein to go down The Cavern, check out The Beatles’ leathers before eventually having sex with John Lennon’s corpse.
Comment by Splonkmaster J on 2009-02-06 12:57:15 +0000
Splonk is a Spam eliminator that works by first accepting certains items that you always want (such as mailing list messages), then rejecting certain people you never want mail from. After that, it looks for common spam patterns. Not all spam may be rejected by this section but it does keep the noise down.
Any mail that gets through all this is tested to see if it is actually for you, either by direct addressing or by coming from someone you know who hides the recipient list.
Last updated 20 May, 2003
Comment by mistertrippy on 2009-02-06 19:59:25 +0000
Wow, and to think I just didn’t know my family played such a pivotal role in derailing popular culture! Not only is Ray “The Cat” Jones the secret force that made the Beatles hit big, he also invented splunk the system for getting rid of unwanted circulars and ad mail, a papernet precursor to sponk!
Comment by mary magdalene on 2009-02-06 21:29:18 +0000
All this and no mention of Down and Out in Shoreditch?
Comment by mistertrippy on 2009-02-07 12:09:18 +0000
Another day another blog I guess for that one… and I hear word of an academic piece on Down & Out about my reworking of the Gothic (not to be confused with Goth subculture which I can’t stand)…..
Comment by Msmarmitelover on 2009-02-07 14:55:06 +0000
Wot abaht emo’s?
Comment by mary magdalene on 2009-02-07 15:12:02 +0000
Is it Gothic Trippy? That’s one of the few books of yours that I don’t have..and I want..that’s maybe out of print? I’m STILL waiting for one book of yours that I’d ordered way back! What was it now? Christ and Murder Love or something?
Comment by mistertrippy on 2009-02-07 18:54:18 +0000
Oh Come Before Christ & Murder Love, now that is out of print and is just as gothic as Down & Out… the latter is technically out of print but there are some copies floating about……
Comment by mary magdalene on 2009-02-07 21:10:55 +0000
Well, what the hell? Why can’t they be put back into print?? I really want copies of those. Especially now if they are as you say.. That would be a really wild read and a different genre of yours that I’m not used to reading
Comment by TV Eye on 2009-02-08 04:10:02 +0000
Oh please, don’t you people ever get bored of these convoluted, circular,and plain boring narcistic semantic / word games?
Come on!
“you are an anti semite” “No I am not!” “Yes you ARE! ” “No, I am anti Israel” ” No, you are clearly a dangerous anti semite” “Yes you are” “NO I am not”…………….
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………………..
Wake me up when you lot have had your fun accusing each other of being anti semitic, anti zionist, anti israel anti….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…………………
Sorry for not being interested…..
Comment by CNN on 2009-08-01 09:32:21 +0000
How odd that while looking for references to John Lavagnino while doing something completely unrelated to either Middleton or Trippy I should find myself back here. Just goes to show that content really is king…
Comment by mistertrippy on 2009-08-01 10:55:49 +0000
Groovy!