Were Jack's records sealed?

[Bulldog]

I vaguely remember hearing that the Jack the Ripper records were ordered sealed from public view for a period of 100 years, and that they were made available to the public before the 100 years was up.

Is this true?

Does anyone know who issued the directive, and did it include all records, including the City Police and coroner's inquest reports, or just the Metropolitan Police records?

Thanks for any help on this.

Bulldog

[Limehouse]

Hello Bulldog,

It was normal practice to seal records for 100 years once a case was closed. This would include all paperwork relating to the case. A chosen few were, I believe, given access to the Ripper Files before the 100 years expired and I believe one of these was Donald Rumbelow, formally a policeman and curator of a museum based at Scotland Yard.

Hope this helps.

Limehouse

[Bob Hinton]

Normal practice

This is entirely normal practice in Britain. For example all census records are sealed for 100 years, unless of course you choose some incompetent organisation to unseal them in which case you have to wait for a few years longer – 1901 Census for example!!!!!

The case in my book, ‘Released too Soon’ refers to a 16 year old who was in an asylum, released into his father care and promptly murdered an old man. He was reincarcerated in 1901, and since it was over 100 years I was given access to his files – including the only know photograph of the killer.

I know people like to try and make a big deal of the files being sealed (The BBC Ripper Files) in the case of Jack the Ripper but it’s just standard practice.

[Hellrider]

so what is the exact reason that British authorities give for doing so?

[Bob Hinton]

Reasons

The reasoning is that after 100 years anyone that could be affected by such records have died, and therefore any adverse information contained in them could not be used against them.

[Magpie]

Just a clarification: The ripper files have been available upon request to legitimate researchers and historians (not just a "chosen" few) since the late seventies. Seeing as how many of these "researchers" (not all) went on to claim in their subsequent works that they had been granted "special" access to "secret" files --often with the tacit suggestion that such files were being supressed in some sinister way (Spiering and Wickes spring to mind)--you can sort of understand why the PRO would not be eager to encourage requests for the files.

[Magpie]

Does anyone know who issued the directive, and did it include all records, including the City Police and coroner's inquest reports, or just the Metropolitan Police records?

The files referred to were the Metropolitan Police records and the Home Office records. The City Police records went missing (presumed destroyed) sometime around the Blitz (the surviving records of the Eddowes murder were mostly found in the London Hospital archives many years later)

[Celesta]

This is entirely normal practice in Britain. For example all census records are sealed for 100 years, unless of course you choose some incompetent organisation to unseal them in which case you have to wait for a few years longer – 1901 Census for example!!!!!

The case in my book, ‘Released too Soon’ refers to a 16 year old who was in an asylum, released into his father care and promptly murdered an old man. He was reincarcerated in 1901, and since it was over 100 years I was given access to his files – including the only know photograph of the killer.

I know people like to try and make a big deal of the files being sealed (The BBC Ripper Files) in the case of Jack the Ripper but it’s just standard practice.

Hello Bob,

So you think there was nothing out of the ordinary that James Tully had such a hard time getting access to James Kelly's files? Some of those appear to have been completely removed.

Best,

Cel

[Dan Norder]

Police records are normally not allowed to be viewed by the public, so it isn't really correct to say that they were sealed. It's just that they were still private for-official-use-only documents until the govt. decides that they are so old that they might as well be released.

Asylum records aren't normally public knowledge either.

[Limehouse]

Hello Bob,

So you think there was nothing out of the ordinary that James Tully had such a hard time getting access to James Kelly's files? Some of those appear to have been completely removed.

Best,

Cel

Hi Celesta,

Would these be Kelly's police files or his Broadmoor Hospital files? The hospital files might have been more difficult to obtain.

[Bob Hinton]

Hello Bob,

So you think there was nothing out of the ordinary that James Tully had such a hard time getting access to James Kelly's files? Some of those appear to have been completely removed.

Best,

Cel

But I thought James Kelly lived well into the 20th century, in which case when Tully went to see them 100 years had not elapsed. It's not surprising some files have been removed. There is a process known as weeding which means that files are gone through and those deemed no longer of interest are destroyed.

Mind you that still leaves an awful lot of files remaining. I remember reading a file about the sinking of the Bismark during WW II and in 1976 it was still classified 'Secret' . After reading it I found it to be more embarassing than secret.

[Celesta]

But I thought James Kelly lived well into the 20th century, in which case when Tully went to see them 100 years had not elapsed. It's not surprising some files have been removed. There is a process known as weeding which means that files are gone through and those deemed no longer of interest are destroyed.

Mind you that still leaves an awful lot of files remaining. I remember reading a file about the sinking of the Bismark during WW II and in 1976 it was still classified 'Secret' . After reading it I found it to be more embarassing than secret.

Hello Julie and Bob,

He died in Sept. of 1929 at Broadmoor. Some of the records were stamped not to be released until 2030. I believe it was the asylum records that Tully was having a hard time getting. He had to enlist the aid of his MP. Some 17 documents were missing, but as you say, Bob, there were apparently enough for Tully to form a picture of Kelly. I suspect that not infrequently secret documents are secret because they are embarrassing.

As for the police records, Tully didn't find much to explain why the police began looking for Kelly after MJK's murder. I would be nice to know why they were looking for him. In other words, was there something specific? Or were they just looking for nutcases, in general.


Best to you both,

Cel

[Bob Hinton]

Sealed Records

So if he died in 1929 then his records would be sealed until 2030, 100 years after his death.

Mind you it makes you shudder to think just how much of the good stuff has been thrown away.

[Celesta]

So if he died in 1929 then his records would be sealed until 2030, 100 years after his death.

Mind you it makes you shudder to think just how much of the good stuff has been thrown away.

Especially when you don't know what their criteria was for tossing a document. I know Tully thought, in some cases, it was possibly suspiciously selective. Who's to know? And how?

[Ryan_Miller]

On the topic of James Kelly, it seems that the police didn't do much to actually catch him upon his escape. If I remember right he tried to turn himself in twice; once in the US and once in Cananda (i believe), and the police failed to be at the proper place, allowing him to rethink things and escape. I also remember reading that there were posters put up saying "If seen do not arrest?" The thing that confuses me about the whole James Kelly thing (Ripper or not) is that the police seem so careless about catching him, and on top of that his file being sealed until 2030 just sounds like theres something to hide. I do understand what has been said about sealing files for 100 years and all, but the whole story just seems like something more was going on.