Photos and copy transcripts of the Wearside Jack letters which famously misled murder squad detectives are among the rare items to go under the hammer at an auction this month.
In one of criminal history's cruellest hoaxes, John Humble tricked police into believing that serial killer the Yorkshire Ripper was Wearside Jack, a man with a gruff Sunderland accent. For reasons he never fully explained, Humble delighted in taunting detectives with letters and an infamous tape, anonymously claiming he was the killer who was terrifying northern England in the late 1970s.
Now photos and copy transcripts of his letters will appear at an auction alongside a psychic's impression of the Yorkshire Ripper as never seen before personal items from legendary Scotland Yard murder sleuth, Commander Jim Nevill, go under the hammer.
Nevill, who led the Yard's bomb squad at the height of the IRA campaigns of the 1970s, was drafted up to Yorkshire to help reboot the floundering Ripper probe in 1979. Never seen before items from his month-long secondment in West Yorkshire hunting the notorious serial killer are expected to bring £800 at auction.
During his career, Nevill led negotiations with Provos holed up with hostages during the Balcombe Street siege in London in 1975. But his involvement was marred with controversy when West Yorkshire Chief Constable Ronald Gregory insisted his force did not need outside help amid severe criticism.
And despite his status as one of the Met's best cops due to his role in the 1963 Great Train Robbery, when Nevill arrived in Leeds, his advice was largely ignored. While the press reported Nevill's secondment was the result of a critical tv documentary, bobbies in West Yorkshire denied it, WalesOnline reports.
Gregory told the press at the time that he felt Nevill "will not be able to suggest anything new" and within a month Nevill returned to London. It took another year before cops finally unmasked the Ripper as lorry driver Peter Sutcliffe from Bradford - after he'd killed twice more.
Reviewing the case, Nevill suggested cops re-evaluate all suspects who had been cleared due to handwriting or a Geordie accent, a legacy of the Wearside Jack hoax. It was later revealed West Yorkshire Police's would probably have caught Sutcliffe far earlier if the Scotland Yard man’s advice had been followed.
Jacqueline Hill’s mother, Doreen, later launched an unsuccessful £100,000 negligence claim against Yorkshire Police over the death of her daughter.
A spokesperson for John Nicholson's Auctions in Sussex, where the items will go under the hammer on January 24, told WalesOnline: "Against this charged and controversial background, the papers coming to auction at John Nicholson's take on added significance. For instance, Nevill's seven-page report to Gregory dated 8th January 1980, which initially appears to shore up the latter's defence of his team's conduct.
"The letter from the psychic describing Sutcliffe is of equal interest, if chiefly for its inaccuracy, particularly her failure to note that he had a beard while being able to describe his chin in detail."
The consignment also includes some of Nevill's personal effects, including his warrant badge, driving licence and two presentation pewter tankards.
Read next:
Dramatic scenes at High Force as heavy rain sees waterfall become 'extremely powerful'
Calls for all care homes in Northumberland to have generators after power cuts during Storm Arwen
Motorists issued urgent warning to check under vehicles before driving in cold weather
Things you can do to prepare your car for winter and avoid a nasty fine
