What happened to Emily Jackson's son after Yorkshire Ripper murdered his mum
ITV's The Long Shadow seems far too tragic to be real, but the new drama retells the twisted murders of the Yorkshire Ripper and his real-life victims five decades ago. Peter Sutcliffe, who embarked on a five-year campaign of terror between 1975 and 1980, was convicted of killing 13 women and attempting to murder seven before he died behind bars in 2020.
His second victim was devoted mum-of-three Emily Jackson, who is portrayed by Katherine Kelly in the series. The 42-year-old was married to husband Sydney Jackson when she found herself working in the sex industry part-time to make ends meet for her desperate family at home. It was on shift one night in January 1976 that she was horrifically killed by Sutcliffe.
Mum-of-three Emily Jackson was murdered in 1976 (Mirrorpix)
Her son Neil was forced to identify her body aged 17 (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)The truck driver picked her up outside a pub and drove her to Manor Industrial Estate, where he pretended the engine had failed in his car. When Emily volunteered to hold a light so Sutcliffe could try and fix it, he battered her to death with a hammer. She tragically never returned home to her other half and three kids, and her eldest son Neil Jackson was forced to formally identify her body aged 17 - as his dad was too shaken to do it.
Neil, now 65, has spoken out about the real-life horror that plagued his family after his mother's death 46 years ago, and has said, "it wasn't just Mam who he killed, he killed the family". He recalled the moment police came knocking on their door in Churwell, near Leeds, to tell them the news and said "his life ended", with it taking days for her vicious murder to sink in.
The retired roofer has said the death of Emily, who was the matriarch of the family, saw the rest of the family torn apart. Previously speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Neil recalled: "When it first happened, all the family - my brother and sister - were all split up. We haven't spoken in 40-odd years." He added: "I'm here today through my own health and helping myself - there was no victim support or anything."
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And in a recent interview with The Sun, where he revealed he would be watching The Long Shadow, Neil explained that his younger sister went on to live with an aunt and his brother stayed with his dad. Meanwhile, Neil went on to join the army just two months later. "I had a difficult relationship with my dad. He was a bully and was abusive towards my mum," Neil said.
Twelve of the thirteen victims of Peter Sutcliffe (PA)"I think he forced her into sex work rather than it being only her decision. Years later, I had a daft argument with him over something trivial and I hadn't spoken to him properly for 25 years by the time he died in 2007." He went on to claim that his siblings took his father's side, and they have been estranged ever since. He believes their family breakdown wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Sutcliffe's callous actions.
On the news of Sutcliffe's death in November 2020, Neil, a dad and granddad-of-one, understandably felt relief. At the time, he told the Mirror: "When I heard he was dead I said 'thank f*** for that, it's about bloody time'. I have thought time and time again over the years that one day I will wake up and he will finally be gone - today is that day. I feel a great sense of relief more than anything, I'm glad he's dead there's no doubt about that.
"But I think he should have been killed a long time ago, he'd have been hanged if I'd had it my way. It riled me to think of him swanning around in prison, being looked and after and fed and all - he didn't deserve that kind of treatment. I've often had to work seven days a week to put food on the table and there he is being waited on hand and foot like he's at Butlins. The world is a better place without him. It's been a long time coming."
The Long Shadow airs tonight at 9pm on ITV
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