The Bible John Mystery
Between February 1968 and October 1969 the city of Glasgow in Scotland was put in a state of fear by an unindentifed male killer who is believed to be responsible for taking the lives of three women.
Victim #1; Patricia Docker Age at Time of Death; 25 Years Old Date of Death; February 25th 1968 in the evening of February 25th 1968, Auxiliary Nurse Docker decided to go dancing at the Majestic ballroom in Glasgow. For a reason that has yet to be determined by Police, Docker decided to change her destination for the evening to the Barrowlands Ballroom. This may have something to do with the fact that the Barrowland Ballroom had a secret 'over 25s night where married people would dispose of the Wedding Rings at the entrance In order to have a few hours of intimacy. Whilst she was there Docker is reported to have ordered a drink and then surveyed the crowd from a vantage point. Reports are unconfirmed as to exactly how long Docker was like this but the consensus is that it wasn't very long before she became aware of a youngish man who has been described as having Reddish-Brown hair. For the next few hours it seems as though Docker had decided that this Man was going to be her life. However on the morning of the 26th at some point between 7 and 8am, a tradesperson was to find Docker's body by his construction area located on Carmichael Lane. She had been strangled (possibly with a belt), raped and beaten with a blunt object to the head. Docker was discovered to be missing her Clothes, Handbag and Watch although the Handbag and Watch were later recovered from bodies of water near the crime scene. While her death was reported on, the fever pitch was yet to come.
Victim #2; Jemima McDonald Age at Time of Death; 32 Years Old Date of Death; August 16th 1969 On the evening of the 16th of August 32 year-old McDonald headed to the Barrowlands Ballroom. While she was there Several People in the ballroom saw McDonald in the company of a red-haired man who has been described as having a distinctive Glaswegian Accent. At some point around 12:40am this young man was seen heading with McDonald in the direction of either Main Street or Landressy Street (both would lead to her house. However when she did not return home, her sister Margaret O'Brien (who had been looking after McDonald's three children whilst she was at the Barrowland) started to get worried. Later that afternoon (this is on the 17th) she heard of rumours that Kids had been seen coming out of an old tenement building discussing a body. When the 18th rolled around and McDonald had still not been heard from, O'Brien headed to check out the old building. There she discovered her sisters body lying face down on the floor. McDonald's Shoes and Socks were discovered next to her but unlike Docker she was fully clothed although this had been torn. McDonald was also menstruating at the time of her death. The Post-Morterm determined that McDonald's Cause of Death was strangulation by one of her own stockings and that she had been raped and severely beaten like Docker.
Initial Investigation Although it was quickly noted by the City of Glasgow Police that both murders had striking similarities to each other, they believed that there wasn't any connection between the two murders. Extensive inquiries into the slayings didn't yield any promising leads and the investigation quickly went cold (despite a composite sketch of the man that McDonald had last been seen with being released to the public by every means available including distributing it in newspapers published throughout Scotland, the first time that the Scottish Public were introduced to this methodology.) Undercover Police officers were also stationed at the Barrowlands Ballroom in an attempt to identify the man although this ultimately went nowhere. In October 1969 the decision was made to stop this part of the inquiry and it would have deadly Results.
Victim #3; Helen Puttock Age at Time of Death; 29 Years Old Date of Death; October 29th 1969 The Helen Puttock section of the Bible John mystery is in many ways an outlier as Helen didn't visit the Barrowlands at first instead heading to a local Pub by the name of the Trader's Tavern with her sister Jeannie (the only eyewitness to what went on in the case) for drinks and gossip. This was at 8pm and they then arrived at the Barrowlands Ballroom at around 10pm after the Tavern had called for last orders. George (Helen's husband at the time) was aware of the previous two slayings involving the Barrowlands Ballroom but was of the opinion that what could you do. Soon after they arrived at the Ballroom the two girls split up and Jeannie was approached by a young man who said his name was John and that he was a builder from the Southern Suburb of Castlenik. They are recalled to have had several dances and drinks together, all whilst Helen was stood off to the side observing and smoking. Not long afterwards, Helen was also approached by a man named John (not the same man who was dancing with her sister Jeannie). Jeannie has described this man as being about 5'10'' and having Reddish-Brown hair although unfortunately she doesn't recall what his surname was or if he even said it.To be fair men wouldn't often say what their surnames were if they attended the Barrowlands. However what wasn't common was the single-breasted suit and leather half-boots the man was described as wearing. Neither was his middle-class accent which Jeannie has described as being almost 'clipped' in it's nature. Jeannie has said about this man "He wasn't the Barrowlands type. Many of those who used to go were kind of rough or drunk. But he was nice, very nice, polite and well spoken." (Just for clarification this 'John' that I am referring to is the one dancing with Helen, not the one who was with Jeannie).
When Closing Time arrived there was the usual scramble for coats and personal items. Helen had lost money in the cigarette machine and Suited John (the one who had been dancing with Helen) wasn't happy and decided to lay into the Establishment and the other patrons whilst demanding that a manager show up to resolve the situation. He is also reported to have said that his father considered the ballrooms "dens of inquity. Castlenik John (this is the one who had been dancing with Jeannie) was initially going to get a taxi with the trio but ultimately decided to go home via a bus instead. All subsequent attempts by Police to track down and identify this John have failed despite urgent appeals for him to come forward.
While in the Taxi John is reported to have made references to the Old Testament of the Bible as well as the sectarian violence between Celtic and Rangers (the two biggest Football Clubs in Scotland) plus his views on 'adulterous women' In an attempt to lighten up the mood (the old testament References were making Jeannie uneasy) she asked what he did for Hogmanay to Which John is reported to have said that he didn't drink and prayed instead. After the conservation had turned to the subject of Foster Children and John's views on those (where he made references to Moses) Jeannie was dropped off at her house (an insistence that John had made).
The following morning Helen's body was discovered in the backyard of her own house. She had the same wounds and the same methodology of inflicting them as the first two victims with some new additions. First of all Helen had a sanitary towel placed under her arm, there were traces of semen left on her tights and there was also evidence to suggest that she had been bitten in addition to the fact that she had seemingly made an attempt to escape from her attacker due to the fact that there was grass stains on her feet.
The Investigation Continues With Helen's murder the investigation came under the control of the Marine Division headed by Detective Superintendent James Beattie (the UK equivalent of the role that a police captain does in the US). Unlike the officers in charge of the investigations into the slayings before, Beattie knew that they were dealing with a serial killer.
Soon, a public appeal was carried on the front page of papers throughout Scotland. "[The killer] is thought to go by his Christian name of John. He may speak of having a strict upbringing and make references to the Bible. This man is quite well-spoken, probably with a Glasgow accent. There may be marks on his face and hands."
Cue Wildfire. This appeal was all that the Tabloids needed in order to set public fear ablaze. All of a sudden the man you saw while walking the dog could be a serial killer or it could be the local shopkeepers son. It wasn't long before some enterpising hack came up with the moniker by which the case has become known as 'Bible John'. All of a sudden a small factor that had been overlooked from the Murder of Jemima McDonald suddenly had a new meaning. Some of the witnesses who had seen her with 'Bible John ' had reported hearing him make several references to the Bible. This now confirmed that the three murders were all linked in addition to the fact that both Helen and Jemima had also had their Handbags stolen and were menstruating when they killed.
Unfortunately in the 53 years since the murder of Helen Puttock, no strong suspects have been uncovered by either Police Scotland (or any other law enforcement body investigating the murders). While a 2021 BBC Documentary has provided a new desire to solve the case it is entirely possible that due to the length of time that has passed and the lack of forensic evidence that this case will go unsolved. Of course Suspects have stillll emerged with quite possibly the perpetrator being amongst the three strongest ones investigated.
In 1996, police in Strathclyde exhumed the body of John Irvine Mcinnes, a man who was a cousin of one of the original suspects in the investigation. A DNA sample was taken from his remains and compared it with semen samples found on Ms Puttock's stockings.
However, the results proved to be inconclusive and McInnes was ultimately cleared of any involvement in the Bible John killings.
Enter Peter Tobin. Then, in 2007, notorious killer Tobin fell under the spotlight. At the time, he was serving a whole life term for three murders committed between 1991 and 2006. He had been initially convicted of the rape and assault of two girls in 1993 and spent ten years in prison. Just three years after his release, he was then sentenced to 21 years behind bars for the rape and murder of Polish student Angela Kluk.
The remains of two teenagers - Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol - were then found at his former home in Margate Kent. He was convicted of their murders in 2008 and 2009 respectively. But Tobin was long suspected of carrying out other killings, and in 2007 was linked to the Bible John killings. He is believed to have been living in Glasgow when Bible John struck and would have been 21 at the time. Tobin is known to have frequented dance halls and for having been a religious man. However, no conclusive link between Tobin and the Glasgow killings was ever made by police and ultimately Tobin was ruled out as part of Operation Anagram in 2006.
However despite the amount of time that has passed meaning that Bible John may have got away with his crimes, Police Scotland issued a statement in January 2022 saying that they will still look into any new information that comes their way regarding the case.
Afterword. Was McInnes guilty of being 'Bible John'? Or is it someone who has never even shown up on the radar of Scottish Police? Also why did the Killings stop after the Murder of Helen Puttock? You decide. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/tv/who-bible-john-glasgows-unidentified-22649357.amp
https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/5947e5/the-mystery-of-bible-john-scotlands-zodiac-killer
P.S This has taken me nearly three months and numerous attempts at posting (thanks Reddit) but I have finally managed to do it.