Over a single week in February 1942, a sadistic killer murdered four women and attacked two more in London’s bomb-ravaged nightlife district, the West End. Today, the Blackout Ripper’s victims have largely been forgotten - so, in the latest season of Bad Women, historian Hallie Rubenhold and journalist Alice Fiennes reconstruct their lives. Using new research from police files, court transcripts and exhaustive genealogical studies, Hallie and Alice take an in-depth look at who these women were and how they ended up crossing paths with a depraved murderer.
But Bad Women uncovers the stories of other victims too, examining why the years of the Second World War were so perilous for so many women. The preview you’re about to hear tells the story of Rachel Dobkin - who disappeared after meeting up with her estranged husband. Police thought it preposterous that Harry Dobkin would have endured 20 years of arguments and financial disputes only to choose to kill Rachel now. And then a body was found in a bombed-out building…
While you’re listening, make sure to follow Bad Women wherever you get your podcasts.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Over a single wake. In February nineteen, forty two a sadistic killer mooted for women and attacked
two more in london's bomb ravage to not life district, the west and today the black
rip. His victims have largely been forgotten, so
in the latest season of bad women? Historic
and how he Reuben howled and a journalist alice finds reconstructed their lives.
using new research from police files court transcript
and exhaustive, genealogical studies halley in Dallas, taken in depth, look at who these women were and how they ended up crossing paths with the depraved murderer, but bad
Women on covers the stories of other victims to examining why the years of the second world war was so perilous. For so many women.
the preview you're about to hear, tells the story of rachel dub can who disappeared,
After meeting up with her a strange husband police thought preposterous that hurriedly
can would have endured twenty years of arguments and financial disputes only to choose
to kill rachel now and then a boy
he was found in a bomb doubt building.
While you're listening make sure to follow bad women. Wherever you get your pug costs
Benjamin Marshall is working alone in the wreckage of foxhole baptist chapel
this area of south london was badly bomb.
earlier in the plates and the church
just now unusable,
range fire had been caused further damage, and now marshall, this part of the demolition scored tasked with clearing the charred debris
the July sheet, ready building a fifty year old, continue, shuffling dirt and rebel, and
basement spot
the stone slab, leaning up against wool
actual decides to move it. I was mesmerized beneath the slab. Is the body of naked dismembered, incomplete marshall, carefully lifts these pitiful human remains with a shovel and calls out to his former it's been decades since the last burial here and this corpse doesn't appear to have come from a disturbed grave? Could it then be the body of a victim of the blitz killed in the air raid that blasted the chapel and lain undiscovered? Ever since that's the confusion, the woman's killer seems to have hoped people withdraw in the chaos and carnage of war. Some men assume their crimes will go undetected and unpunished, but looking at the mutilated form of this woman, it's clear that this is not the work of a bomb. The efforts made to disfigure her in disguise her identity tell police immediately that this was murder. The this is the seldom told story of women in world war. Two were killed not by the enemy, but my husbands lovers and strangers wearing the uniform of the song. It's all
the tale to kill a string of murder victims. These trees swept from view I am highly weeping and I'm Alice finds a new listening to ban the blackout
Polly Dubinsky is not the first come to this little brick house in london's pretty east end in such of answers. Madame
is expecting her. Did you bring what I need? Polly holds out a scarf and
what're you off. They belonged to her sister rachel dobkins who's been missing for three days.
a clairvoyant, ashes, polly inside and then takes hold it these items of clothing. They will be key to her work for she practices. Psychology
tree she claims that she can read these objects and thereby
untangle the mystery of rachel's disappearance polly had come to seventeen underwood road the day before frantically seeking help
but held a never had been too busy cooking sunday dinner to go into a psychic trance. Today, however, she is ready,
some breathing now goes deep and leave it, for she is communing with another world.
See the countryside ice doth kin and
looks said. Then
Madame know the feels of blow to the head, the as though something is tightening about half right, squeezing crushing. Oh, she gasps for air or the division is clearly not a hopeful. One
but madam nava isn't working totally blind. She now
the missing woman. Well, rachel dobkins is convinced.
the psychics palace and she could
home regularly? In fact, rachel came
just days ago, asking Madame never to read a piece of her jewelry. She
meeting the man who gave it to her and she wanted advice
sensing great sorrow in the gulf banned the clever
And warned rachel of grave danger. You promise me, you won't go rachel, pledge that she would not see the man
This isn't a story about the black africa to which will return next episode, rachel dog
wasn't in the habit of frequenting western night clubs, but chiefly
the danger, no less chilling,
in Madame nervous hand, was her wedding ring.
and the man she promised to avoid was
own husband,
in the spring of eighteen. Eighty one, russia tsar alexander, the second, was returning from a military parade to the winter palace, taking his
customary route when revolutionaries at the roadside threw a bomb under his carriage, the russian monarch, stepped down that had come from seeming and heard the second explosion to tear through the royal party and it's bodyguards. The assassination sparked a series of vicious anti jewish riots pogroms. The christians attacked the houses and shops of the Jews indiscriminately by smashing doors and breaking windows. Only one of the ten convicted plotters was actually jewish, but the jewish people as a whole were blamed. They were made to pay, but their businesses and homes and and blunt one hundred houses were punished. The quantity of furniture being thrown out into the street two hundred people were injured during the riots the rachel tompkins parents bonnet and Sarah Dubinsky were in the eye of the storm their province. In what is now, ukraine saw brutal violence and in the decade that followed the situation worse imperial russia imposed both petty restrictions
its serious hardships on the jewish population, for example, businesses could refuse to employ jews, so many eked out
Poultry living in the poorest pay.
Trades, given the vital
It's an economic hardships is
wonder that by eighty nine
He too bond
ten sarah
join the millions of jews.
King a new life abroad
The refugee,
traveled overland at first, mostly
boarding in disembarking steam, locomotives, puffed and shrieked away west.
As a german frontier, some travelers were packed onto special sealed trains, fearing
the polluting, including migrant, jewish dash vondra, oppression or authorities sought to limit that contact with the german population,
swayed them from settling conditions on the journey could be abominable travellers.
were treated like prisoners and deprived of access to adequate food and water. It was very hot and close and altogether uncomfortable said. One voyager are
see even now how the offices could allow such a thing. It was really dangerous.
But eventually the travelers would have reached germany's coast where the train doors would have opened.
Sarah and bonnet with then boarded a steam ship to close the north sea to britain.
Bondage. The Sarah arrived in london. They settled there,
The already bustling jewish community of white chapel according to
social research are charles booth, some ninety percent of london's jewish population resided in the cities, grim east end and yiddish,
spoken on the streets, the quarter
was also a reputed sink of misery and degeneracy, paying son filthy of a crowded stinking of rock
refugees, white chapel was
signatories for the recent string of savage murders that have been perpetrated on its dingy, narrow streets
in the time since Pauline nicholls, Annie, chapman elizabeth stride, kate at owes a marriage and Kelly had been killed here. Some of the most
depressing slums had been cleared and chain
was under way, but the east end remained of good
Our concern to politicians and reformers study
The jewish community, in particular charles booth noted that these
the greens full and a permanent layer of poverty verging on destitution,
eastern jews worked in trade such as tailoring and boot, making that regular employment was heard,
to come by and many a
who labored in the garment industry like cap, make a bonnet carried out p
work at home toiled in cramped workshops under terrible conditions and for little pay them
in general. The lancet investigated the condition of jewish tailors in the east end of london. It's fine
things carry anti semitic overtones attitudes not uncommon at the time
commissioners found them working in unwholesome overcrowd
it houses. Such
people, were wanting in even the
an immensely habits of cleanliness which possessed by the poorest of english people the debate,
Guess themselves lived in a house where home life and work life melted the building
Divided into tailoring workshops, it was here an organ
eighteen. Ninety two,
rules of cloth and spindle. A thread that Sarah gave
go
She was newly arrived in a foreign land and separate
did from the support of their families. Childless
could be a looming and frightening experience. Sarah might have been attended by a
or a handy woman, a local, not full.
lee trained midwifery, but who would have been trusted by
community none the less the couple,
named than new arrival rachel more convincing.
Children, followed by
the time she was nine rachel
for this evening's others-
decry the standards of sanitation and jewish homes. Others remark
the children of jewish immigrants would generally and better health than their gentle counterparts. One scoreboard president thought that
improved morality of jewish parents and the care
which their religion demanded is to food- was
largely the cause of their superiority over english children,
these rickets, which left many working class children with weak and deformed bones, was less common in
You wish homes. Medical experts suggested that this was because of diet. Jewish women, often banded together to bulk by fish at the
market herring in particular a source of protein and boom
strengthening vitamin d other.
service. Noted the self sacrifice.
I sing care and devotion that jewish parents showed to bear children
illness could still devastate family life. In April
nineteen o one baby Hannah dubinsky contracted hoop and call
the sound of a gasping breath would have run through their cramped dwelling starved of oxygen? A tiny body would have at first convulsed
and then fallen still ass. Her rattling breaths ceased together.
immigrant fortunes could rise and fall a work I might switch back and forth between
the rows of employees and employer
over a lifetime flush one year bankrupt the next, but despite the hardships and tragedies say so
said the Dubinsky family moved on the whole outputs
They were among the deserving poor, granted a home in the leyla buildings and you.
housing development that had risen on the ruins of an infamous slum, the red brick tenement complex.
Radiated out from a central park and was intended to
com, policemen, nurses, teachers and other work as a good moral character, and we even shops
goose laundries on site
skis and their larger apron vogel took up precedent,
in three rims. Their quarters would have been compact for seven people to say the least, but they would all the same. I felt pleased with a new home
rachel grew into a petite young woman with dark hair and a thoughtful arrive.
sting gaze, she was quiet and anxious. On occasion.
by eighteen, she was walking in the cap making trade most.
a key alongside her father.
Then, when she was twenty eight years old she was introduced.
to hurry. Dobkins. This match was awry
and to a jewish marriage breaker as
I tend to autumn in nineteen twenty
chill and hurry wet, bethnal, green, great synagogue. Life is good, or does he was wrong? There are currently witnessing mauled or drop for your for further re. The union, however, was not a happy one.
to hurry the couple
in italy from the start or poor,
with my wife, ivory inconvenience, the lodgings. We were in and told a vibrant,
where we could go. She referred
used to go there. When I left the merry
She's been a failure from the outset.
Separation came just three days after that. Nuptials
story, induct, ginger, frost doubts that disagreements about accommodation alone would have caused such a split. That's pretty fast,
there's something there not saying about what happened. There is, but I don't know what it was, but something that bad within a few days could have been,
actually dependability. Maybe there was just instant dislike. That's possible
Perhaps harry dobkins was violent past few days. That
to sex, was an unpleasant, even traumatic experience for rachel.
girls and young women generally received little by way of sex education. To the point that a pregnant woman might have no idea how the baby growing inside tat would actually leave her body.
Harry was gone, but the couple had been
together long enough for rachel to conceal
the child nine months
after they went and then separated baby stand
was born at the city of london, maternity hospitals under the eye of medical professionals,
such care, was a luxury beyond the means of many women.
So when rachel was admitted, it was probably through a chargeable scheme
Single women who are sufficiently recommended said the hospital rules and
found to be deserving of the benefits of the hospitals charity, will be
enjoyable for admission for their first confinement.
On starlings birth certificate. Rachel wrote that both she and harry will residing at the same address, but her husband was
swear void gone to see as a third class. Do it on an ocean liner. The couple may have separated, but their lives remained knotted together. That meetings
would become ever more acrimonious and in the coming years, prairie dog can, with wage and full campaign threats and violence against is ever more fragile, wife that
women, the blackout ripper, will be back after this short break state. Your full name,
Harry dub can has clearly not been providing for his family and was summoned to the imposing bold street police court where he was ordered to pay the sum of one pounds per week to his wife and child. A considerable portion of his earnings to force was expensive difficulty
obtain and carried a stigma, so the
It chose to remain married. According to ginger frost, such messy separations often crippled both parties usually separations, come it's usually years of marriage.
Woman would do a lot to avoid it, because the separate
some payments you get are now
not the same as having a breadwinner. There are not enough really to keep you in any children, so she has to work. That means somebody has to take care of the kids. It just doesn't work Harry
paid the sum for a few weeks. Perhaps
then fell into arrears. He was
can hold up at court and sentenced to six weeks in prison,
measure was ultimately intended to discourage non payment
cause while Harry was in prison, his income was halted him going to jail. That happens all the time. Men can never make these payments because you can't keep two households and she can't keep her house on that and he can't keep his on that gotta live with. Somebody else didn't appear to want another relationship, but if he ever wanted to have another one, he couldn't afford it because he was paying so much of his pay to her. So
conflict on the really comment?
When Harry left prison. He took a job aboard. The ss pittsburgh
the white stone line so
the way and did not return for ten years,
How rachel maidens meat in harry's absence is unclear. Its doubts
Will he send money back when Harry doug
Can finally return from sea, he says
Relatives tried to engineer a rapprochement to bring the husband and wife back together again
claimed he was offered money to reunite with rachel eight pounds.
So the unhappy pair lived together briefly,
I would pay for. According to Harry, the arguments erupted again, probably where they are by the way
What in discovered the almost siemens discharge papers were missing an
my wife had taken him. She accused me it's like an approach belonging to a
Maybe you play
when he, those arrested and charged with stealing the following day, I paid
straight place, cool, but a case
dismissed? The apartment was rented in harry's name, but he's
that he left and move back him with his parents deepen mon that thereafter, rachel continually reported him for non payment of their maintenance agreement and he spent several short spells behind bars.
harry's account. Rachel was an exasperating nuisance. His sister anna,
described how she would turn up at home, causing trouble. She called to all hours and kicked up around there is
however another side to this story. In january nineteen, thirty five someone
I'd to such a file on rachel's doorstep. At five, a m
An employee of the housing block was sent to survey the considerable damage from the look downwards, the door
burned almost through
looked as though some one had put some oily rag and piper against the door and set light to it. Tariff
I'd rachel was convinced that harry was behind the us. An attack bob's, it was
attempt to merely intimidate her, or perhaps it was a bid to end the union permanently.
Rachel didn't pursue a husband through the courts and no charges willie.
against him.
The residents of white chapel erected, barricades red
themselves to repel the invaders in almost
devil, seems couples.
Paving stones were lifted in preparation to pelt the appeal.
King enemy and those in upstairs windows boil water,
to rain down on their foes mounted police charged the local sophist jewish neighbourhood, hoping the blows from their truncheons with clear a path through the thousand assembled a path that would allows,
Oswald Mosley and his black shirted british fascists to stage a provocative march, the police could make little headway. The barriers were numerous: the crowds to enraged the hail of stones too thick. The fascist procession would have
takes another. We want free speech complained the black ships when they were denied the chance to struck past synagogues, jewish homes of jewish businesses. Raising this default nazi salutes the black shirt leader talked openly of expelling jews from the country and amongst his rabble, rousing accusations. He blamed the jewish garment workshops of white shopping for the woes of an industry hit by the great depression, the bloodied and bested the black ships at last retreated and marched away from the east end. Mosley had humiliatingly lost the battle of cable street and went to berlin to lick his wounds where he also
found time to marry his fiance under
gaze of hitler himself,
the doktor examine the bruising on rachel dobkins alms and face what caused this
He asked his patient my husband,
she replied when rate
returned with a black eye. Doctor
I ve made a record of the assault.
Sisters husband has been very crossover. Polly depends
He was eleven years younger than rachel, but she kept her
active eye on her older sister she's received severe blows from him at different times friend
cities in also saw rachel's black eyes and purple bruises. She told me that
He was a violent man and I advised her to keep away from him.
They lived a pot rachel's meetings with hurry, could still flat and disagreement
harry would try to win these disputes with his fists. The abuse inflicted such trauma that rachel became unable to work.
It seems that Harry's attempts to silence his wife only
into even more reliant on his maintenance payments summit. However, in nineteen thirty seven he beat rachel on the street so hard that she suffered a so called mental lapse. Unbeknownst to her family, she was sent to an observation board in nearby ST clement's hospital. The treatment of mental illness was changing, lunatics were now patients,
and no longer insane but of unsound mind.
until ill. Health was an element and hopefully a temporary one rather than identity. Previously, doc
waited until people was so ill. They could be certified insane and sent to an asylum, but now,
nation. Woods welcomed patients like rachel and then decide
when they needed more intensive treatment. A period of convalescence all had recovered sufficient.
Need to be discharged when
chill siblings, polly, Mary and nathan march, through the doors of the hospital two days later, to retrieve her, they were adamant.
sister was quite well enough to leave. Rachel was said to be frightened
I'm not sure on quite well, and she described
every feelings on the crown of her head. Giddiness
though her time in hospital was short, the suggestion
rachel was of unsound. Mind would hold tat in the coming years
prompting some to discount rubbing concerns about her abusive husband, warm russia will, if you want something to eat, well, more
I didn't know the agitated man ordering food at our sons cafe. On an august day in nineteen thirty, nine, the customer harry dobkins,
Two waiting stuff, then approach moored more
life, is pregnant she's threatened to have an illegal operation? Will you
don't ever talked with persuaded, not to do more.
Oh terry dub can back to his nearby rented room.
He was earning a living making and selling aprons, and the space was both home and workshop inside she found rachel. She then said I
And I have a boy of eighteen and I don't want to go
prove of another one of pay, the money
and I'm gonna have an illegal operation tomorrow. Mood explain
into the english woman that the procedure
be dangerous, I told
not to be silly go through, and
the child rachel, who admitted
She had already tried to end the pregnancy by swallowing an anti malaria drugs scene.
to listen to this advice. I will not have it done well. You speak to my husband, Rachel's husband, however, had already left he'd gone to reported to the police
interview by offices, rachel described
how harry's abuse had escalate
during one of her visits to seek overdue alimony about afore
I go to my house
forced himself for me, I had intercourse, although I did not wish it
This accusation of rape denial
by harry seem
not to have interested the police. A wife
didn't deny husband sex sent. The law
seeking an abortion was an offence they'd, happily
investigate husband and wife.
Disagreed about who'd insisted on the termination, but rachel
was not in fact pregnant a doctor who
I'm, inter at the behest of the police, concluded that
was going through the menopause and suffering from me.
a puzzle, neurosis that made hurry
borderline mental case.
in the final report police noted that break
who was unreliable. Rambling and suffering from
bad nerves, despite ray
tools, accusations of violence, the police,
decided that harry and rachel were essentially is bad.
one another boss,
stir and mrs dobkins are very vindictive towards each other. There is no doubt harry.
Hopkins tries to avoid payment of maintenance soda. She into
molest team. Whenever possible, homicide expert
facet jane mountain smith is familiar with such
explanations of domestic violence, the six of one half a dozen
of the other narrative, I think, he's incredibly damaging to victims, especially of control and abuse. We sent you,
the files on rachel dobkins, and she felt
These were wrongly dismissive of rachel's plight. He wasn't
living with her, so he's coming in from outside
forcing himself on her and
woman is left to deal with the consequences of his violence, time,
time and time again, and you do not see that being spoken about in any of the records. The violence is almost spoken about as if, while they have that cod
relationship. So that's what was going on and she was
crazy anyway, so poor guy. She
was on the road to losing her life. Absolutely deaf
Lee and not a single person was
her side
It wasn't long after this incident that rachel started to visit the medium madame nafta
tourism was immensely. Popular practitioners believed the dead survive
in another room
community living
I creator, Sir arthur Conan Doyle had even been among spiritualism, celebrity proponents.
story and ginger frost its popular,
Our duty is linked to the upheaval and tragedy that unfolded in the first part of the twentieth century, so many people died robber, one and the flu epidemic took out,
even more and those two whammy is within a couple of three years of each other. It was just disaster and most people had lost multiple people in their lives. They wanted to be able to connect to them again
they wanted some hope that they were still somewhere and I
stand that
and so sound circles and mediums proliferated. Most of them have a spirit guide who would show up and they speak in that guides voice and the guide would answer questions some of them transported things. Of course, most of them just conceal them on their bodies, but they were just suddenly
bout flowers or they would have a relic from another time that would be in their hand, or they were seen,
he's from other times. They were going other places without actually leaving the room. There were all of these kinds of psychic phenomenon.
hilda. Never a polish emigre told the psychic news that since childhood, she possessed
strange power that enabled her to help other goes with that problems
chill certainly came burdened with problems and our relationship with that I'm never seems to have had a therapeutic quality. This wasn't uncommon. You talk out things with them. Their comforting issues, if you think of it, there are ways of kind of therapy, is at work or feed have submitted
to talk about the stuff and feel better. When you leave rachel went to the little brick house
every other sunday but April eighth. Nineteen forty one was a tuesday rachel dog
and now forty eight years old had a pressing,
question from Adam. Never can you tell me something give me an article and I'll try and get through four
Rachel handed over the wedding ring
I'm. Not I'm never entered a semi trance, you worried and full of trouble. You are planning to go in a few days
Journey to meet someone don't go
it to the spirit, friends and stay? Where are you the psychic,
describe division of rachel entering a large building, but she knew there was money for
I see sadness for you. Will you promise not to go rachel made the point
Yes, but madam nervous words seemed to have weighed on heavily
bad women. The blackout Ripper we'll be back after this short break.
two days after a meeting with Madame Nova, rachel called at the home of a friend who said she was depressed, anxious and afraid
harry. She told me the harassment we'll get so
or later, with finisher kip
following day, rachel appears to
had a change of heart,
friday morning. She met with a beloved son stanley and they re
to go to the cinema later that afternoon? At lunchtime she crossed paths with polly and told her that her husband had
the a pound of onions as a present food being scared,
this stage of the war and she
was going to meet him harry dobkins, said
he encountered his wife on the street near his house, he was
this way out to sell some aprons. It was obvious.
She had been. My infamy rachel was o.
ways trying to lose him back to live with her. He said: cost
himself and the role of the beleaguered victim or should pay
he's don't hang around here and cause trouble. My mother is very ill bay. Greet me
later at a local cafe. The.
practice, remembered them coming in she'd, seen them together before they say
a corner table the woman
was very talkative. The couple appeared quite friendly:
and they were not quarrelling over arguing, but Harry told a different story.
she said: if you don't make peace with me all my trouble for you, she was talking
low tones, but was a bit hysterical off the distress or sit,
I consider pace. If you will calm yourself and go. Are you drunk
cup of tea and ass. We left the tea shop. She said,
feel well, and she was going to a mothers to weigh the wireless harrison.
She boarded the number twenty two bus and he watched. Does it emerged away toward shortage
that evening polly finished work and went home early, the baby, if the family, she hadn't
Followed has two brings into the garment trade and how
stead, lunch shorthand typing and become a bookkeeper clock to city office. Rachel never appeared
to rest and listen to the wireless. Nor did she make it to the
animal with stanley? Ordinarily,
she would call round in the evenings. Neat dinner with our family, but that night, her place at the table sat empty.
The following morning, there was still no sign of her and polly
old uneasy enough to let herself into rachel's flat with this back. He
when she saw her sisters undisturbed, bedsheets and realized she hadn't slept there. Polly felt sure that something terrible had happened
the at first the flames licked at the old church, ribbons dancing across it's floorboards and wood paneling. Then they curled around what remained in the rafters and soon the orange flame lit up the night sky. The hairy dog can supplemented his income as a part time firewood chair at the warehouse next door April. Sales have been poor, so he spent his nights. Protecting these premises from the incendiary bombs dropped by the germans. He greeted the police and firefighters when they finally arrived, showing them the best route to reach the five gripped, the bombed out ruins of books or baptist chapel, the stout little man and his suit and trilby hat seemed excited and claim to have tried to extinguish the flames that we hadn't raised. The alarm is very rolled as a fire watcher one witness
recalled. A strange remark he made, I didn't: do it across to
down the dubinsky were worried, sick about rachel
haven't seen half over three days and they deleted the
lease. The only clue was rachel's handbag that
and found thirteen miles from the city and which contain vital documents such as her rationed book
officers, search for the missing woman, a train stations and in local hospitals, and they wrote it
spencer reports, but they did not take part,
suspicions or the profits
is of Madame nerve, particularly seriously. Instead, they pointed
rachel's mental health history, the woman,
Clearly troubled and she probably got
and drowned herself. They thought, but over the next year,
We return time and again to the police imploring
to act now
the character of a husband, I'm report in this, because I feel he has had some hand in her disappearance polly.
unrelenting campaign for justice seems to have annoyed the detectives: one police file, com
doubt on her mental health, saying she buckle
under the sorrow of rachel's disappearance and was
sparing sing. Hallucinations offices did search the chapel but happen
by bomb and fire damage, found nothing and ultimately,
It was thought inconceivable that harry dobkins would have waited over twenty years to kill rachel. There is not
slightest indication that harry dobkins has murdered. His wife ass suggest
did by the missing woman's relations, but Jane monk and Smith says that too
Dr at such a conclusion is the total
misunderstand intimate partner violence. One thing
we do know about this type of homicide is
that there's a level of planning. In most
stop them, and in some cases they will try and make it look. Like has been a car accident or a strange fall.
We even illness. Sometimes that goes on along so sometimes,
these things are never fear.
now and sometimes you I can take a long time-
before their uncovered. The police also
tied themselves and not to discredit accounts of harry's violence, for instance,
We may have noticed rachel's bruises and been told how they ve been caused. But offices noted that polly,
had never actually seen harry strike a sister or
written her life in the question.
two witnesses, the police,
also seem to have been particularly interested in how often rachel contacted harry, as though this
Meant she could not have seriously feared he would do her home when I was reading the case notes for this. I am. She got quite angry
cause. She suffered a significant injury which caused people to then be able to accuse huh,
of having mental health problems. This poor woman probably couldn't open a mouse without somebody interpreting. What she was saying or doing is crazy
then tends to protect him, but he inflicted that
jerry and then she's accused
chasing him for money and him have.
To spend time in prison because he haven't paid the money. This is a violent now
Steve man here,
was the architect of all of the problems that she had. This speaking about him
if she's the problem. What did they think she was
do for money. She had no means of supporting herself
she was of a status of a single mother back then, oh, my goodness, that would have been so hard as the months went by
there was still no sign of rachel twice
he was called in to identify bodies. Neither
which turned out to be her sister basics,
appearances proofs.
Oh traumatic, the polly refused any further.
Invitations to the morgue Harry, dubbed can probably thought
but he got away with rachel's murder, but harry dobkins was wrong.
The forensic pathologists set to work, examining the torso that Benjamin marshal had discovered in the basement at the chapel. It was so
small and slight, that at first he thought it might have
a young girl,
the head and other parts of the body were missing.
And what remained had been mutilated and partially burned. The perpetrator clearly
thought his grisly handiwork. Put four straight attempts to identify the dead woman.
But the murderer hadn't reckoned on the persistence and skill of pathology teen. They raked and intensive through tons of rubble from the chapel
Looking for more, please
trade and photographed the remains in a lab at one of london's top hospitals determine
to find out who the dead woman was. Finally,
abraham cop kin was summoned, he tended to teeth across the east, end
lings extractions dentists,
surviving section of jewel was set before the dentist. That's
patient- that's missus duncan
in august nineteen, forty two, the police went to question hurried up. Can he was living with his agent parents in the front room? If the house, the space, was furnished simply and there were boxes of leather and fabric straps everywhere, there's been a development. When respect your wife, I want you to accompany us to the police station for further enquiries. Harry protested,
did that he knew nothing of any seller at the chapel had never once been down there. He grew agitated, and then he took a bill from a leather merchants from out of his pocket, pulled note on the back and handed it to a police officer. He was said to be in the habit of writing down his thoughts on scraps of paper divisional inspector. Should it read in respect to what you said that more wife has been found dead or murdered
that you say I know something that I'm holding back from the place. I am sorry to say that I cannot say anything different to my previous statements, but the police had said nothing about matter, nor are they suggested he was holding information back from them. They charged him implying that rachel had driven husband to matter
we suggest that dobkins had reason to be rid of his wife. Ass. She had been a financial
incumbrance to him for many years, the
Maintenance order was a constant drain on him. He'd been com,
to prison several times for its non payment
He has also said that she pestered his parents, which did not improve matters
Jane mountain smith thinks that such
reading of harry dobkins motive, one that paint
rachel as a shrew and to blame thy own death badly.
is the mark. Thus, the society we created for women men
created for women, a society where they would be reliant on them
get annoyed about back when they don't want that woman any more and he won't be rid of her. I really believe he wanted rid of her because he could see him
of going back into prison again for naught
having her money, how dashi huh
dad she read
his life by trying
money or fame. One he's got other things to do in a life to lead with no thought
for how he has wrecked her life, unjust expected that she would take it
The jury deliberated for only twenty minutes
and they were unanimous in their verdict. Harry dubbed kin
strangled his wife to death with his back
hands
and then concealed her remains in the church seller
he was hanged on a cold foggy morning at once. What prison in south london
after the trial, a journalist visited the dubinsky family home. They kept a photo of rachel atop. The piano
he noted and another over on the wool and very beautiful
She looked there
porter was intrigued by the role Madame never spiritualism had played in the case, then
rachel's, mother, Sarah and her sister Mary confided that all the time that her body had lain concealed in the church, ruins they'd had strange knocked at the door. Only
find. No one waiting on the step.
And then, in the dead of night, Sarah had repeatedly been workin by a voice from the playground outside the voice of her missing daughter.
rachel, so tormented and ill served in life now at least rested in a proper grave.
On the headstone dubinsky chow
to end the heartfelt inscription with a wish peace to her dear so.
The
bad women. The blackout ripper is hosted by me. Halley reuben hold and me
finds it was written in prison
by Alice fines and rain daily with additional support from
Courtney Garrido, an author, gauntlets kate Healy,
awkward family trees, aided us with genealogical research
scandalised, sound, designed and mixed the show and composed all the original music. The show
recorded woodward today's by David smith and tom berry.
You also had the voice talents of Ben crow, David glover, Melanie got trudge. So
half a jemison days and rufus right, much of them
if you had was performed by edgar fuckin ross, he's
ten minutes and marcus Penrose. There were recorded by
taylor, porcupine studios, Pushkin's
and holiday mixed the tracks- and you heard additional piano playing by the great bear
wise highbury,
The show also wouldn't have been possible without the work of Jacob boys has a faint
call me kiyomori, maggie taylor,
Nicole, murano Eric sandler,
and didn't yellow lucan. We don't like to think
Michael, buchanan done of the murder mile podcast lizzie
the carol, Catherine walker
from pharmaceutical society and the eu be his
or society
Bad women is a production, pushkin industries, please rate
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Transcript generated on 2022-12-07.