'I was a London tour guide for a historic killer - I was screamed and spat at'

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

A former Jack the Ripper tour guide has admitted she felt "uncomfortable" when tourists brought small children, or even dressed up, as the infamous killer
A former London tour guide for Jack the Ripper has revealed the harrowing moment she decided to quit after she came face-to-face with a sex worker.
Jessica O'Neil was studying a master's in Heritage Studies at university in 2014 when she saw a job advertisement to be an evening tour guide, where a two-hour private tour costs £195, and a three-hour tour, £275.
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With the ability to combine her academic pursuits with a part-time job, she jumped at the opportunity. She would lead tourists ranging from "10-40" people through the creepy streets of London, recounting the horrendous tales for entertainment.
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She would share infamous stories of Jack the Ripper, who was the unidentified murderer who horrifically killed at least five women, predominantly sex workers, in Whitechapel during the autumn of 1888.
While the exact number of his victims remains unconfirmed, there are five he killed, including Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly.
Jessica would retell stories she had read about Jack the Ripper in front of crowds. However, she felt "uncomfortable" when tourists brought small children, or even dressed up, as the killer.
But there was one night that prompted Jessica to stop conducting the popular Jack the Ripper tours.
She was recounting the death of Polly Nichols to tourists, based on what she had read, when she was abruptly yelled at and accused of "misrepresenting" Polly as a sex worker.
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Jessica told The Mirror: "I vividly remember standing on what remains of Flower and Dean Street, once home to London's most notorious lodging houses, regaling a group of tourists about the death of poor Polly Nichols. I was misrepresenting her as a sex worker, as that is what I had always been told and had read – though all evidence actually points to her scraping by with odd jobs and sleeping outdoors some nights.
"A survival-level sex worker approached my group and began to scream. "You don't care about real women. My friends get murdered and none of you care. But you come here for Jack the Ripper." Some in the group began to get defensive, but I paused and told them – 'she's right." I went back later that night to look for her.
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"Maybe I wanted to explain that my tour was different – even though it really wasn't – and have her absolve me of the creeping guilt I felt every time I told punters about the horrible things that happened to these women."
Jessica, who has made a name for herself on YouTube as " The Museum Guide" with nearly 90,000 followers, now offers guided tours of museums and curiosities, leaving her Jack the Ripper-focused days in the past.
The founder of 'The Museum Guide', has shifted her focus to learning about the lives of women rather than dwelling on "speculate about a pathetic loser."
She said: "I personally prefer to learn about the women's lives and their histories rather than speculate about a pathetic loser who had to kill women to achieve any kind of notoriety."