A building society clerk, living with her parents and two
young brothers. Josephine, 19, was killed in respectable Saville Park,
in Halifax
Sutcliffe knew he was being baited by the Ripper. He knew
he was involved in a deadly struggle with the unknown evil murderer and he
had pitted his wits against him in 1976,1977 and 1978. Tracey murdered
Vera Millward in Manchester on the 16th May 1978 in response to
Sutcliffe’s murder of Yvonne Pearson, whose body was found only a few
weeks before with all the attendant publicity about a copy cat killer
trying to emulate the Ripper. Sutcliffe did not know however that as well
as baiting him, the Ripper was also manipulating the police by writing to
them and including the Jordan murder in his count. Two weeks after the
Millward murder the police announced that the murder of Jean Jordan was
included in the Ripper frame. It was Sutcliffe’s turn next. The ball was in
his court. He was terrified of his role as he counted the weeks. It was 46
weeks from the Millward murder, and Tracey had been involved with me in
all that time and I was extricating myself from his influence in my own
struggle with him but he had not forgotten his business in England.
The murder scene (above & below)
I had a particularly difficult day with Tracey that day and when we
returned to my home we were told that my Alsatian bitch had pups that same
day. Knowing he loved the bitch, I ordered him to drown the pups and he
reluctantly went and got them. I was hoping he would leave me alone for a
few weeks or months. The air was tense and everyone there could feel it.
He was visibly angry and stormed out the door with a bang about 4.0pm with
the pups in a plastic bag. That night he murdered Josephine Whittaker in
Halifax. By killing in Halifax he was responding to Sutcliffe whose attack
on Olive Smelt was also included in the Ripper frame with Jean Jordan and
Joan Harrison.
He most likely flew from Dublin airport, about 30 minutes from Manchester
and took a taxi from Manchester to Halifax town centre, from where he
would take another taxi to the Royal Infirmary. He was familiar with
hospitals, and strangers there would arouse no suspicions. Hospitals are
always full of visitors. A short walk up the hill would take him to
Saville Park from where he could see Josephine in the distance, in the dim
light as she walked towards his road from the opposite side of the big
park. He converged with her as she came on to his road and without
arousing her suspicions this elegantly dressed bearded gentleman got
within striking distance of her. Then he dragged her into the park out of
sight of cars or other pedestrians where he performed his ritual injuries
of repeated stabbing within the vagina with a three cornered file which he
probably took from my tools, to ensure the police knew it was him. I had
such a file to sharpen saws and it disappeared then. The file was oily
when used and this gave rise to Oldfield looking for a factory worker. He
was to use the same tool on Barbara Leach almost 5 months later.
(above) Extract from Sunday Times analysis after the Hill murder in
November 1980
Joan Harrison had been included in the Ripper frame along with Jean Jordan
and now Tracey was to authenticate his letters by biting Josephine
Whittaker on the left breast to copper-fasten Jean Jordan in the Ripper
frame. It was also to firmly place Joan Harrison as a Ripper victim
because up to this time her murder had not been positively in the frame.
The bite with its distinctive gap decided it and there it was to remain
until Sutcliffe’s arrest.
In addition Tracey linked this murder to the Preston murder by placing
Josephine's boot between her thighs something that he alone knew would link
these murders because up to then the details of the Harrison murder were
known only to the police and the killer.
Sutcliffe had every reason to count the 46 weeks. After the Whittaker
murder he did not respond to the bait but the unrelenting Tracey followed
this up with the Leach murder and Sutcliffe "had lost the battle" to use
his own words. The Ripper was going to keep it up as he did in 1977.
Sutcliffe's story of the Whittaker (left column only) and Leach murders
