Richard A. Patterson, author of the fascinating historical book, 'Jack The Ripper, The Works of Francis Thompson', recently featured in the The Shields Gazette. 

Here is just a small extract from the intriguing article:

'A new book makes the explosive claim that Jack the Ripper was the poet Francis Thompson, who studied as a priest in County Durham. Richard Patterson’s book, ‘Jack the Ripper, The Works of Francis Thompson’, brings to light the early life of the poet in the North East.

Between August 31 and November 9, 1888, Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly were all knifed to death in Whitechapel, East London. The enduring mystery to the Ripper’s identity has meant that today there is a virtual industry built around the history of the crimes with those interested in it dubbed ‘Ripperologists’.'

Read the full article HERE.