Chief Superintendent Jack Ridgway

Chief Superintendent Jack Ridgway of the Greater Manchester Police took charge of the Jean Jordan murder investigation and recognised immediately the possibility of a link with the crimes in West Yorkshire.

Weight was added to this initial suspicion when it was discovered that the £5 note recovered from Jean Jordan’s handbag was probably from a consignment of £25,000 (i.e. 5,000 £5 notes) delivered to the Manningham, Shipley or Bingley branches of the Midland Bank on 29th September 1977. A team of detectives from Greater Manchester moved to the West Yorkshire area and, accompanied by West Yorkshire officers, undertook extensive inquiries to trace the person to whom the recovered £5 note had been paid.

On the 16th May 1978, Vera Millward, a convicted prostitute, was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe in Manchester. This crime immediately came under the control of Detective Chief Superintendent Ridgway, who was still hunting for the murderer of Jean Jordan, and an incident room was established in Manchester to service the police investigation.