The husband of Bible John victim Helen Puttock has died just weeks after the 53rd anniversary of her murder – but his family have vowed to continue his fight for justice.
George Puttock, who was 81, died in hospital on Sunday following a lengthy health battle.
The dad of four, who lived in Wokingham, Berkshire, with his wife of 49 years, Mavis, had recently urged police to reopen the investigation into the murders of Helen, Patricia Docker and Jemima MacDonald.
Last night, Mavis said the family would continue with George’s quest to see justice for his first wife and mother of two of his sons. Helen, 29, was the third victim of suspected serial killer Bible John.
She was sexually assaulted and strangled with her tights in Scotstoun, Glasgow, after a night out with her sister Jean McLachlan at the Barrowland Ballroom in October 1969.
Since then, George has spoken at length about Helen’s unsolved murder and told of the effect her death had on his family. Mavis said: “George had been very unwell for some time and was struggling with his health.
“We’ve had so many setbacks over the years that I thought he would recover again but sadly he passed away on Sunday afternoon.
“As a family we are devastated and still trying to get our heads around the fact George has gone.”
Mavis – who brought up George and Helen’s two sons, David and Michael, as her own – added: “I know David still wants to know who killed his mum and I think we would all still like to see justice for George and Helen’s sake.
“I feel very sad George has died without ever knowing who killed her and why.”
Recently, George said he hoped advances in DNA techniques would be the key to unlocking the Bible John mystery and allow police to solve the murders.
Mavis added: “George refused to give up looking for answers but in the last few years he believed Peter Sutcliffe was responsible. Nothing could persuade him otherwise.
“George always felt strongly that Helen’s murder contributed to the death of his youngest son, Michael, who died in 2020.”
The serial killer, nicknamed Bible John because he quoted from scripture, is said to have stalked the Barrowland dance hall before selecting his three young victims.
Earlier this year, Helen’s son Dave said his dad was “haunted” by the murder and wanted police to crack the infamous case for the sake of the families left behind.
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