THE author who claims to have identified serial killer Jack the Ripper has called it “justice” for the families of his victims.
Russell Edwards said DNA on a bloody shawl recovered from the body of Catherine Eddowes is an exact match with suspect Aaron Kosminski.
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He said that proves barber Kosminski, a Polish emigre, is the Ripper, who killed at least five women in Whitechapel, East London, in 1888.
Russell, who bought the shawl at auction in 2007, has hired a legal team to fight for an inquest on the grounds it is new evidence.
He said: “It’s very difficult to put into words the elation I felt when I saw the 100 per cent DNA match.
“This brings closure and it’s a form of justice for the descendants.
“He can’t be prosecuted because he’s dead but this is the closest thing they can do.
“This man committed atrocities towards their ancestors and we know it’s him and we want the courts to say, ‘Yes, you’re right.”
Karen Miller, 53, Catherine’s descendant, said: “We have the proof, now we need this inquest to legally name the killer. It would mean a lot to me, to my family, to a lot of people, to finally have this crime solved.”
A campaign has been backed by Karen and descendants of Kosminski to get justice for the victims.
The ripper also took the lives of Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride and Mary Jane Kelly in the most heinous fashion, earning him his sinister moniker.
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