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Vital DNA evidence has finally uncovered the identity of notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper.

The man behind the grisly killing spree in London’s East End has been unveiled as Aaron Kosminkski, a 23-year-old Polish immigrant who ended up dying in an asylum.

A blood soaked shawl, purchased by author Russell Edwards, led to the breakthrough when a scientist matched DNA evidence left on it to descendants of Kosminski.

Mr Edwards, 48, from Barnet, north London, was "captivated" by the murder mystery and had been investigating it in his spare time, but had come to the conclusion it could never be solved.

But then in 2007 he saw a shawl found by the body of Catherine Eddowes, one of the Ripper's victims, was up for sale.

He said the shawl had been taken by acting Sergeant Amos Simpson, who was on duty the night of Eddowes's death and wanted it for his wife.

But horrified at the blood-soaked wrap, she never wore it, and it was stored away and passed down through the generations until it came to auction seven years ago.

Mr Edwards said: “Here I am with the shawl and possibly the evidence to solve the most unsolvable murder in English criminal history. But where do I start? That was the big question.

Jack The Ripper 19 show all Jack The Ripper 1/19 Jack the Ripper 1888, London: Elizabeth Stride, 45, a prostitute was murdered in Berners Street. Her windpipe was severed, but her killer, Jack the Ripper, had apparently been interrupted and she became one of his six victims (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images) 2/19 Jack the Ripper The front page of a newspaper reports on a 'Ghastly Murder in the East-End. Dreadful Mutilation of a Woman,' as part of its coverage of the murders of Jack the Ripper in September 1888. Though the body is unidentified as of the writing of the article, it probably refers to the death of Annie Chapman on September 8, 1888. (Express Newspapers/Getty Images) 3/19 Jack the Ripper Gunthorpe Street, scene of Jack the Ripper's first kill (Picture: Associated Newspapers) 4/19 Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper’s fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes (Picture: Evans Skinner archive/PA Wire) 5/19 Jack the Ripper Mitre Square in the City of London, with an arched passageway leading to St James's Passage (formerly Church Passage), circa 1928. It was here that prostitute Catherine Eddowes was murdered by serial killer Jack the Ripper on September 30, 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 6/19 Jack the Ripper The corpse of Annie Chapman, murdered by Jack the Ripper at Hanbury Street, September 8, 1888. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images) 7/19 Jack the Ripper Hanbury Street in Spitalfields, east London, circa 1900, where Annie Chapman was murdered on September 8, 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 8/19 Jack the Ripper The corpse of 40-year-old Alice McKenzie, who was murdered on July 17, 1889 in Castle Alley, Whitechapel, London. Her left carotid artery had been severed. The murder was attributed by many to Jack the Ripper, although several investigators were unconvinced. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 9/19 Jack the Ripper The envelope of a letter that was written by a person claiming to be Jack the Ripper. It was sent to Doctor Thomas Openshaw of the London Hospital Whitechapel. The letter is dated 29 October 1888 10/19 Jack the Ripper A letter written by a person claiming to be Jack the Ripper dated October 29, 1888 11/19 Jack the Ripper A Google StreetView of Old Castle Street, near where Castle Alley used to be, the location where Alice Mckenzie was killed by Jack The Ripper. 12/19 Jack the Ripper The corpse of Elizabeth Stride, murdered by Jack the Ripper at Derner Street, September 30, 1888. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images) 13/19 Jack the Ripper Slum dwellings in Berner Street (later Henriques Street) in Whitechapel, east London, circa 1900. It was near here that Elizabeth Stride was murdered by Jack the Ripper on September 30, 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 14/19 Jack the Ripper The corpse of Mary Ann Nicholls, murdered by Jack the Ripper at Bucks Row, August 31, 1888. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images) 15/19 Jack the Ripper Bucks Row, now Durward Street, east London, where the body of Mary Ann Nichols, victim of Jack the Ripper, was found lying across the gutter. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 16/19 Jack the Ripper Miller's Court in Dorset Street, east London, circa 1900, where Mary Jane Kelly was murdered by Jack the Ripper on November 9, 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 17/19 Jack the Ripper Illustration showing the police discovering the body of one of Jack the Ripper's victims, probably Catherine Eddowes, late September 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 18/19 Jack the Ripper Extract from the 'Penny Illustrated News' October 13, 1888. This illustration is connected with the infamous "Jack the Ripper" murders and shows one of the victims, Kate Eddowes, and a sketch of a man who was thought to be implicated in the case. (Popperfoto/Getty Images) 19/19 ColneyHatchLunaticAsylum.jpg Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum - where Ripper suspect Aaron Kosminkski was committed following the murders 1/19 Jack the Ripper 1888, London: Elizabeth Stride, 45, a prostitute was murdered in Berners Street. Her windpipe was severed, but her killer, Jack the Ripper, had apparently been interrupted and she became one of his six victims (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images) 2/19 Jack the Ripper The front page of a newspaper reports on a 'Ghastly Murder in the East-End. Dreadful Mutilation of a Woman,' as part of its coverage of the murders of Jack the Ripper in September 1888. Though the body is unidentified as of the writing of the article, it probably refers to the death of Annie Chapman on September 8, 1888. (Express Newspapers/Getty Images) 3/19 Jack the Ripper Gunthorpe Street, scene of Jack the Ripper's first kill (Picture: Associated Newspapers) 4/19 Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper’s fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes (Picture: Evans Skinner archive/PA Wire) 5/19 Jack the Ripper Mitre Square in the City of London, with an arched passageway leading to St James's Passage (formerly Church Passage), circa 1928. It was here that prostitute Catherine Eddowes was murdered by serial killer Jack the Ripper on September 30, 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 6/19 Jack the Ripper The corpse of Annie Chapman, murdered by Jack the Ripper at Hanbury Street, September 8, 1888. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images) 7/19 Jack the Ripper Hanbury Street in Spitalfields, east London, circa 1900, where Annie Chapman was murdered on September 8, 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 8/19 Jack the Ripper The corpse of 40-year-old Alice McKenzie, who was murdered on July 17, 1889 in Castle Alley, Whitechapel, London. Her left carotid artery had been severed. The murder was attributed by many to Jack the Ripper, although several investigators were unconvinced. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 9/19 Jack the Ripper The envelope of a letter that was written by a person claiming to be Jack the Ripper. It was sent to Doctor Thomas Openshaw of the London Hospital Whitechapel. The letter is dated 29 October 1888 10/19 Jack the Ripper A letter written by a person claiming to be Jack the Ripper dated October 29, 1888 11/19 Jack the Ripper A Google StreetView of Old Castle Street, near where Castle Alley used to be, the location where Alice Mckenzie was killed by Jack The Ripper. 12/19 Jack the Ripper The corpse of Elizabeth Stride, murdered by Jack the Ripper at Derner Street, September 30, 1888. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images) 13/19 Jack the Ripper Slum dwellings in Berner Street (later Henriques Street) in Whitechapel, east London, circa 1900. It was near here that Elizabeth Stride was murdered by Jack the Ripper on September 30, 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 14/19 Jack the Ripper The corpse of Mary Ann Nicholls, murdered by Jack the Ripper at Bucks Row, August 31, 1888. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images) 15/19 Jack the Ripper Bucks Row, now Durward Street, east London, where the body of Mary Ann Nichols, victim of Jack the Ripper, was found lying across the gutter. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 16/19 Jack the Ripper Miller's Court in Dorset Street, east London, circa 1900, where Mary Jane Kelly was murdered by Jack the Ripper on November 9, 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 17/19 Jack the Ripper Illustration showing the police discovering the body of one of Jack the Ripper's victims, probably Catherine Eddowes, late September 1888. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 18/19 Jack the Ripper Extract from the 'Penny Illustrated News' October 13, 1888. This illustration is connected with the infamous "Jack the Ripper" murders and shows one of the victims, Kate Eddowes, and a sketch of a man who was thought to be implicated in the case. (Popperfoto/Getty Images) 19/19 ColneyHatchLunaticAsylum.jpg Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum - where Ripper suspect Aaron Kosminkski was committed following the murders

"I enlisted the help of Jari and we embarked on a three-and-a-half year journey.

"When we discovered the truth it was the most amazing feeling of my entire life."

Mr Edwards said the discovery 126 years after the murders proves beyond doubt that Kosminski - one of the six key suspects commonly cited as the Ripper - was the actual killer.

Kosminski was born in the Polish town of Klodawa, when it was under the Russian Empire in 1865. He emigrated to the UK in 1881 and lived with his family in Whitechapel.

He was forcibly put in Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum, and he remained in asylums until his death in 1919, aged 53.

Jack the Ripper is believed to have killed between five and 11 women in the Whitechapel area which began in 1888. Police identified Kosminski as a suspect, but never had enough evidence to bring him to trial.

Naming Jack the Ripper will be published by Sidgwick & Jackson on Tuesday and costs £16.99 for a hardback.