Wednesday 2 November 2022 05:19 PM How 'Bible John' murdered Patricia Docker, Jemima McDonald and Helen Puttock trends now
They were crimes so heinous that they turned the city that loved dancing into one that was living in fear.
The killings of three women in 1960s Glasgow sparked a hunt for the man who came to be known as Bible John.
He was the killer who struck after picking up his victims in the Scottish city's Barrowland Ballroom, where thousands went every night to enjoy themselves.
The murders of Patricia Docker, Jemima McDonald and Helen Puttock led to a police search that ultimately proved fruitless, even though notorious Scottish murderer Peter Tobin was among the suspects.
Now, a new BBC podcast about Bible John's killing spree has been made by a Glaswegian journalist Audrey Gillan, who was just weeks old when the first murder occurred.
It delves into the little told life stories of Ms Docker, Ms McDonald and Ms Puttock and explores the search for their killer, who got his nickname after witnesses said they heard him quoting passages from the Bible.
They were crimes so heinous that they turned the city that loved dancing into one that was living in fear. The killings of three women in 1960s Glasgow sparked a hunt for the monster who came to be known as Bible John. Above: First and second victim Pat Docker and Jemima McDonald
Helen Puttock, who was 29, was killed on Halloween in 1969. Her body was found in the back garden of her own flat. She was Bible John's third victim
Speaking to The Guardian, Ms Gillan said: 'The city that loved dancing was suddenly living in fear of a killer who was picking his victims on the dancefloor.
'They saw an artist's sketch of him and thought, "That's the guy at the corner shop.' Or, 'I see him walking his dog in the park."
A police photofit of the man believed to be Bible John
'It changed the way women felt – and children like myself grew up thinking he was a bogeyman.'
She said a 'big failing' of the initial investigation was the way that the women were judged negatively for having been on their periods when they were killed.
The infamous Glasgow killings took place in 1968 and 1969, with all three of Ms Docker, Ms McDonald and Ms Puttock being found beaten and strangled.
Ms Docker, an auxiliary nurse, was the first victim of Bible John. She was found murdered in the doorway of a lock-up garage in February 1968.
Initial police enquiries revealed how locals had heard a woman shout 'leave me alone!' the previous evening.
The 25-year-old was a married mother of one who was estranged from her husband and had spent the previous evening at the Barrowland Ballroom.
The next killing, of McDonald, who was a 32-year-old mother-of-three, took place in August 1969.
Ms Mcdonald was a regular visitor to the Barrowland Ballroom and, on the night she was killed, was seen in the company of a well-dressed man.
He is said to have
