Bible John

*This article includes details of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and/or rape. Discretion is advised.*

*This article includes details of suicide and/or self harm. Discretion is advised.*

## Bible John

2021 sketch depicting overlapping front teeth.

### Date of Last Murder

31 October 1969

**"Bible John"** was a man who raped and murdered three women in Glasgow, Scotland, between 1968 and 1969. As of August 1, 2023, "Bible John" hasn't been identified or apprehended.

## Victims

While these victims are believed to have been murdered by the same person, there's no forensic evidence linking them. The three known victims of "Bible John" can be viewed here:

* Patricia Docker
* Jemima McDonald
* Helen Puttock

## Timeline

Please see:

Bible John/Timeline

## Description

### Jemima McDonald attacker

Shortly before Jemima McDonald's murder, she was seen in the company of a man at the Barrowland Ballroom, where all of "Bible John's" victims were on the night of their murders.

The man was described as being well-dressed, polite and well-spoken. He was described as being between 25 and 35 and between 6' (1.83 m) and 6'2 (1.88 m) in height. Witnesses said he had short, dark brown hair with fair streaks. The man had a recognisable Glaswegian accent. He also briefly quoted the Bible.

### Helen Puttock attacker

Helen Puttock's attacker was last seen by Helen's sister when she rode in a taxi with them.

Helen's sister described Bible John as a well-dressed man, between 25 and 30 and 5'10 (1.78 m) in height, with fair or reddish hair, rounded neatly in the back. He also had distinctive overlapping front teeth.

The man gave his name as either "John Templeton," "John Sempleson," or "John Emerson." He was a very well-spoken and polite man. He had quoted the Old Testament many times but indicated he wasn't Catholic or Protestant.

## Suspects

### Hannah Martin attacker

Soon after the Bible John murders, many women came forward, saying they were sexually attacked after spending a night at the Barrowland Ballroom. One of these women was Hannah Martin, who claimed she was raped by Bible John. She also claimed she became pregnant and gave birth to her attacker's child.

She claimed that she went to the Barrowland Ballroom in April 1969 and left in the company of a man. She said they had consensual sex at first, but the man's sexual demeanor became more aggressive. Martin, drunk and terrified, vomited in the car. The man quickly got her out of his car and drove away.

### John McInnes

For unknown reasons, the body of John Irvine McInnes was exhumed in 1996, to compare his DNA to "Bible John's." He died by suicide in 1980. After obtaining McInnes' DNA and comparing it to semen samples found on Helen Puttock's stockings, the tests proved inconclusive, and he was cleared of any involvment in the murders.

In 2023, McInnes has been revived as a suspect. There have been claims of a "cover-up," as McInnes was a relative of a senior police officer. His cousin was also a suspect in the original investigation. The claims of a cover-up have not been confirmed or proven false, and McInnes' status as a suspect remains unknown.

## Ruled-out suspects

### Peter Tobin

Since his arrest in 2006, convicted serial killer Peter Tobin was speculated to have been Bible John. One of the similarities was that the name that "Bible John" gave to Helen Puttock and her sister was similar to one of Tobin's aliases, John Semple. Tobin did bear some physical similarities with "Bible John," but Bible John was described as having red hair, which Tobin didn't have.

Tobin's ex-wives told police that he became particularly aggressive when their menstrual cycle was brought up, a trait that Tobin and "Bible John" seemed to have in common.

There are some problems with the theory, one of them being that Bible John left his victims in public places, waiting to be found, whereas Tobin always hid the bodies of his victims.

#### Elimination as a suspect

Two main factors were used to eliminate Tobin as a suspect. The first was that Tobin was claimed to have left Glasgow after the murder of Helen Puttock, but he moved just before the murder of Jemima McDonald, placing Tobin far away from Scotland at the time of the final two Bible John murders.

A semen sample found at the scene of Helen Puttock's murder was tested against Tobin's DNA. There was no match, ruling Tobin out as a suspect.

### "John White"

A man was arrested in 1969 as a suspect in the "Bible John" murders but was released as he didn't have overlapping front teeth, something Helen Puttock's sister noted about the man, whom she and her sister shared a taxi with. The man was arrested at the Barrowland Ballroom during an argument with a woman, which sparked police interest.

Other than the teeth, the man closely resembled a facial composite created in 1969. He had initially provided a false name and address to police before providing his real name and address. Despite this, the man was let go due to his teeth not matching "Bible John's."

The man was allegedly taken to the hospital on a different occasion in 1969. This also took place at the Barrowland Ballroom. He gave a false name when asked for it, "John White." Despite needing several stitches, he fled the hospital when his handcuffs were removed.

#### Elimination as a suspect

"John White" came forward in 2005 and provided his DNA to be compared to "Bible John's" DNA. The DNA didn't match, eliminating him as a suspect.

## Sources

* Bible John on Wikipedia
* *The Scottish Sun*
* *STV News*