John Netley

John Charles Netley (19 May 1860 – 20 September 1903) was an English cab driver who was later claimed to have been involved in the 'Whitechapel Murders' committed by the unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper.

Biography

Netley was born in

At time of death, John Netley was described as a "carman" (i.e. a goods wagon driver) in the census returns for the period which show him living with his father.[4] He was employed by Messrs Thompson, McKay and Co., who described Netley as "very steady".^[5] Netley died, aged 43, in an accident when the wheel of his van hit an obelisk in London's Park Road, where it joins onto Baker Street, near to Clarence Gate in Regent's Park. He was thrown from his van under the hooves of the horses where his head was crushed by a wheel. The jury at his inquest returned a verdict of accidental death, with a recommendation that the drivers of vans should be offered safety straps.

Whitechapel allegations

In 1888, John Netley was a Hackney carriage driver in London. In 1976, author Stephen Knight accused Netley of complicity in the Whitechapel murders in his book Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution.

Knight's

Joseph Sickert claimed that he drowned after the attempt, having run to Westminster where he jumped off the pier. Sickert was wrong in this and therefore could not have based his story on any contemporary evidence, as has often been suggested. A newspaper report was found of a man who gave his name as "Nickley" being rescued by from the river by the pier master, and later discharging himself from hospital. Nickley could have been a misheard Netley - or a quickly assumed name. Stephen Knight said that the Dictionary of British Surnames did not list Nickley.

Portrayals in fiction

Netley has been featured in several works based on the Jack the Ripper and the