Liamcrime

In 2011 Professor David Wilson published an intriguing book titled- ‘A history of British Serial Killing’. This book is a fascinating read for any Criminologist and social scientist because it focuses on key serial killings in Britain from the epicentre of when the phenomenon of serial killing became a concept. Whitechapel in 1888 saw some of the most horrific murders committed by an unknown assailant. His name became identified as Jack the Ripper. At the start of the book, Wilson talks about how as a Criminologist, it is more relevant to look at the victims themselves as opposed to the serial killer. This is for several reasons. Firstly, so that we are not glorifying the serial killers. As Wilson said in his conclusion, many serial killers have killed because they wanted to be famous. Wilson feels and indeed so do I that by focusing on the killers themselves we are putting them into the public light and giving them the internal gratification and sense of accomplishment for their un