Body of suspected Bradford serial killer's victim indentified as missing prostitute

The remains of a woman found dumped in a river have been identified as those of a prostitute believed to be among up to six victims of a serial killer in Bradford.

By Paul Stokes, Richard Edwards and John Bingham
Published: 11:55AM BST 27 May 2010



Stephen Griffiths, a mature student in criminal justice at Bradford University, is being questioned by police over the killing of Suzanne Blamires, 36, and two other prostitutes who worked in Bradford’s red light district and went missing over the past year.

On his Myspace page he operated under the pseudonym Ven Pariah, listing his mood as 'evil' and describing himself as the "misanthrope who brought hate into heaven".

Police are also questioning him on suspicion of murdering Susan Rushworth, 43 and Shelley Armitage, 31,

A police spokesman said this morning: "An examination of human remains recovered from the River Aire have confirmed a positive match to Suzanne Blamires.

"Inquiries into the incident remain ongoing and a 40-year-old man remains under arrest in custody.

"He is being questioned on suspicion of the murder of Suzanne Blamires, Shelley Armitage and Susan Rushworth."

Ms Blamires was last seen on Friday, while Ms Armitage, 31, has been missing since Monday April 26, and Ms Rushworth, 43, disappeared on June 22 last year.

Parts of Ms Blamires body were found in the River Aire on Tuesday after calls from members of the public. It is understood that a severed head was discovered in a rucksack.

West Yorkshire police were last night checking missing persons files. It was reported that they were investigating three more unsolved murders possibly linked to the case. Mr Griffiths, 40, who is studying criminal justice, specialising in homicide, is a postgraduate student with a degree in psychology.

The bachelor lives in Bradford’s red light district. One neighbour said he would walk around in a long black leather coat and boast he was doing a “PhD in Jack the Ripper”.

It is understood that Mr Griffiths was detained after detectives studied CCTV footage from the city centre over the weekend, when Miss Blamires went missing.

Separate searches for all the missing women had been continuing throughout Bradford but until yesterday police refused to link them.

Miss Rushworth was the first to go missing, on June 22 last year. She spent the previous evening with her family in Thornton before returning to her bedsit in Manningham.

Miss Armitage was last seen on CCTV cameras at 10pm on Monday, April 26, close to the city centre and again in the red light district.

Miss Blamires went missing on Friday. She was friends with Miss Armitage and lived a few streets away from her in Bradford’s Allerton district.

Mr Griffiths was arrested on Monday and the scope of the inquiry was expanded to link the other women.

At the same time as he was detained, a person found parts of a body in the River Aire, in nearby Shipley. Officers are yet to identify the victim.

The developments evoked memories of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, who was convicted in 1981 of 13 murders and seven attempted murders of women, mainly prostitutes.

He lived in Bradford and killed three of his victims in the city.

Mr Griffiths was arrested by about 40 armed police at his flat. Forensics officers spent the day searching the third floor of the property, a converted mill building.

Neighbours said he bred rats to feed to his pet lizards.

One said: “He claimed he was doing a PhD in murder and Jack the Ripper.”

To neighbours and regulars in the local pub he walked past every day, he was known as “Penfold” because he wore round glasses and a dark overcoat like the cartoon character in Danger Mouse.

Locals, who would not be named, said Mr Griffiths was a “loner” and a “goth”. Mr Griffiths, who lived alone, had been renting his flat since 2001.

Detectives will study links with the murder of three other women in the area, including Rebecca Hall, who died in Bradford in April 2001.

The body of the 19-year-old sex worker was found dumped in an alleyway two weeks after she went missing.

Other cases being looked at include the disappearance of Gemma Simpson, 23, in 2000, and Yvonne Fitt, who went missing in January 1992.

Police said they were not formally linking the cases to the current inquiry at present.

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/7771034/Body-of-suspected-Bradford-serial-killers-victim-indentified-as-missing-prostitute.html