The story of a cruel hoax which helped the Yorkshire Ripper to continue his killing spree for almost three years is to be made into a film.
I’m Jack will detail the case of John Humble, also known as “Wearside Jack”, who sent letters and tapes to the West Yorkshire police team investigating the ripper deaths in 1978. The film will be based on Mark Blacklock’s recent novel of the same name, rights to which have been bought by UK production company Mad as Birds. Welsh actor Celyn Jones, who starred as Dylan Thomas in the York-based firm’s 2014 biopic Set Fire to the Stars, will play Humble as well as co-writing the screenplay with Blacklock.
Well it's a brilliant and unique novel by @DrBlacklock , we're confident the film will be that too. https://t.co/h4djqV4V6y
— celyn jones (@celynjones) June 15, 2015
The hoax, in which the Wearside-based labourer taunted assistant chief constable George Oldfield about his failure to bring the killer to justice, led police to believe their target had a Sunderland accent. They interviewed 40,000 suspects, but ruled out the real killer, Peter Sutcliffe (who was questioned nine times), because he spoke with a Yorkshire brogue. Sutcliffe murdered three more women, having already killed 10, during the period between March 1978, when the Wearside Jack hoax began, and his arrest in January 1981.
Humble was only caught in 2005 during a cold-case review of original files, and was jailed for eight years for perverting the course of justice. Now aged 59, the labourer was released in 2009 after serving half his sentence. It is believed he was motivated by a desire for notoriety, and possibly a hatred of police relating to an earlier, unspecified encounter.
The film’s title refers to Humble’s tape, sent to police and the Daily Mirror in 1979 in which he told Oldfield: “I’m Jack. I see you are still having no luck catching me. I have the greatest respect for you, George, but Lord! You are no nearer catching me now than four years ago when I started. I reckon your boys are letting you down, George. They can’t be much good, can they?”
Oldfield, who is said to have remained convinced that the I’m Jack tapes and letters bore some connection to the killer, retired in 1983 after suffering two heart attacks in four years, the first in 1979 while he was working long hours as head of the team investigating the Ripper deaths. He died in 1985 at the age of 61.
