Was Jack a Necrophiliac?

[Shelley]

Well, there is a daunting question that can lurk over heads, was Jack the Ripper a necrophiliac or not? Polly Nicholls, Annie Chapman & Catherine Eddowes all had splayed legs, it has been known with strangled victims to have been raped as well, to further met out indignation on the victim. In the case of necrophilia, this would only apply in the event of sexual intercourse have taken place once the victim was indeed dead at the time. So did Jack have intercourse with these women whilst they were alive, or when they were dead? Did Jack have intercourse at all, or did he by any means use an instrument on these women or any other victims not included in the canocial 5 as a form of sexual violation?

[DVV]

Hi Shelley,
there isn't any evidence for a necrophiliac-Jack.
And he didn't rape his victims with the knife - as sometimes stated.
The best definition seems to be "necro-sadist" (I learnt this from another thread).

Amitiés,
David

[Christine]

All the medical experts agreed that Jack did not have sexual intercourse with his victims. No semen was found at the crime scenes, so he apparently didn't masturbate either. Now sticking a knife into a woman's genitalia has obvious sexual overtones, and most psychological profilers think he was sexually aroused by the crimes, but there's no proof of this. And even if he was aroused by the mutilations, that's not the definition of necrophilia.

Another theory that was common in earlier days was that he was anti-sex and trying to punish women for the perceived evils of sex and prostitution, but most modern psychologists don't buy into this one.

[DVV]

Another theory that was common in earlier days was that he was anti-sex and trying to punish women for the perceived evils of sex and prostitution, but most modern psychologists don't buy into this one...

...or that he was a spiteful syphilitic.

Amitiés,
David

[Shelley]

Christine, DVV,
I wouldn't disagree with your posts, both good posts. However there are problems with some men who just cannot ejaculate, either through medical complications, or extreme anxiety. There did not seem to be indications as you say that Jack had intercourse with his victims, also no semen found by ejaculation around or over the victims this is true. Also MJK could also be put in that category of having splayed legs.

[Mascara & Paranoia]

Just because there wasn't any semen at the scene of the crimes doesn't necessarily mean that he didn't pop his cork. Besides, I doubt he would've slashed their throats and mutiliate their bodies with his wanger hangin' out (o_O @ the mental images!).

[Shelley]

Mascara & Paranoia,
Good post, and one that i would agree with in the case of, it is possible that Jack could have popped his cork, but there wasn't any signs of semen around the corpse that was noted by Doctor's. Polly Nicholls was actually found with her legs extended, just a little indecency as to her clothing where Robert and Cross decided to rectify ' her decency ' were possible, although there are those who think that Nicholls may have been possibly interfered with, but was not indeed noted by the Doctor. Also these 2 men also thought that there was still some life in Nicholls when they found her, but how on earth could she have still been alive, even just faintly with her head almost severed from her body, and only a little evidence of blood at the scene, not blood spattering everywhere and certainly by no stretch lying in a pool of blood,i would think that Jack in the case of Nicholls was probably not a necrophiliac. As far as i know the very first canocial in the series was Annie Chapman that had her legs splayed, anyone that may think Nicholls may have had splayed legs, as some have thought it possible with the first men on the scene Cross & Robert when they decided to make Polly a little more decent, it can be open for debate.

[kensei]

Martha Tabram, whether one includes her as a Ripper victim or not, had splayed legs also.

It would seem that in order to be centered when he was ready to begin mutilating the abdomen, Jack had the choice of either straddling the victims or spreading their legs and kneeling between them. Apparently he chose the latter.

[DVV]

Hi Kensei,

...whether he was crouching by their right side, as it seems. Except in Mary's case, of course.

Amitiés,
David

[Sam Flynn]

Re "splayed legs", Ken - it's not unusual to find corpses with their legs in the position seen in some of the Whitechapel Murders. We can't read anything into it, as the configuration is seen whether a person has been shot, blown-up, stabbed, "ripped", or has even died from natural causes.

[Shelley]

Well, yes Sam a victim's legs could be just placed to get a better view as to what you are feeling in the dark or looking at if ripping is an occurance, but also the ferosity of an attack could be the legs got in the way, so moved to such a position, but also there are other reasons such as rape, either with a penis or some other object. Sometimes there isn't any signs of semen and that can be it didn't happen at all, to someone who may have lost thier balls, or some other medical reason.
There is the case of Francine Elveson who was placed in the position of the Jewish Good Luck Symbol the ' Chai ' and that shows splayed legs.

[Jon Guy]

it's not unusual to find corpses with their legs in the position seen in some of the Whitechapel Murders. We can't read anything into it,

Hi Sam

True, it`s not unusual, but not many are found in that position and the clothes turned up to the waist.

Looking at the Whitechapel Murders, of those who died where they were found, Mylett, Coles and McKenzie (her clothes were turned up), were all found on their sides.

[DVV]

Sometimes there isn't any signs of semen and that can be it didn't happen at all, to someone who may have lost thier balls, or some other medical reason.

Hi Shelley,

well, you really want to make Jack a necrophiliac, even at the cost of his balls...!

Amitiés,
David

[Malcolm X]

a Necrophiliac?..........yes could easily be.

but i see no signs of sexual interest, gaining access to the body to mutilate is all i see

[Shelley]

Hi Shelley,

well, you really want to make Jack a necrophiliac, even at the cost of his balls...!

Amitiés,
David

Hi DVV,

Well, i don't really want to make anything one way or another, it's just a good subject to air out if there was any idea amongst people who may think that Jack could have been a necrophiliac, it is unlikely with evidence that Jack was indeed not a necrophiliac. At the same time, i wouldn't pin Jack in the castrato category either, but hey complications & accidents of the male genital area!, who knows? We all know one thing, Jack certainly had balls to mutilate corpses in the street.

All the Best
Shelley