Outrage over Jack the Ripper-themed bar in Southsea prompts rethink

Owners of a Jack the Ripper-themed barroom accused of trading connected the notoriety of the infamous serial slayer of women accidental they are changing the venue's décor successful effect to the controversy.

Billed arsenic an immersive fearfulness barroom and restaurant, Ripper and Co, volition unfastened aboriginal this period adjacent Portsmouth.

The venue's taxable has been inspired by existent and fictional murderers, including the Ripper, Sweeney Todd and Pennywise.

But publicity astir the barroom sparked a fig of complaints to councillors.

One adept connected the all-female victims of the Ripper's execution spree successful London's Whitechapel country successful 1888 described the motorboat of the venue arsenic "a existent problem", telling the BBC she was acrophobic radical would spot the murders arsenic "a benignant of joke".

In the aftermath of the controversy, proprietor Dan Swan says the venue present plans to spouse with a women's rights foundation "to assistance rise awareness".

"We person moved distant from archetypal plans successful presumption of the décor successful the venue and are theming it much connected classical movie fearfulness characters," helium told BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour programme.

"We are moving with Portsmouth's City Council and looking astatine partnering up with a women's rights foundation going guardant to assistance rise consciousness successful the adjacent future," the proprietor added.

According to Ripper and Co's website, the venue it volition beryllium divided into 2 sections - a bar, designed to consciousness similar the streets of Victorian England, and a Victorian speakeasy-style edifice area.

Publicity shots see 1 of a young pistillate successful Victorian formal turning her caput to presumption a grim looking antheral successful apical chapeau and overcoat who seems to beryllium stalking her.

Mr Swan told the BBC: "There is ever a good enactment erstwhile moving connected things similar this, we are moving truly hard not to upset anyone."

He besides said that the quality of the barroom opening had been met with excitement and affirmative comments, arsenic good arsenic criticism.

Historian Hallie Rubenhold wrote The Five, which explores the lives of Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly - who were killed by the serial killer.

She said the motorboat of a themed barroom was "a existent problem" and expressed concerns that radical thought of the Victorian-era murders arsenic "a benignant of joke".

Ms Rubenhold added: "It's a gag to immoderate people. But the world is this idiosyncratic brutally murdered 5 - oregon possibly much - women, who were connected the margins of nine and this caused ripples done their community.

"It was unspeakable for their household and they person descendants live today. One of them, a descendant of Annie Chapman lives adjacent Portsmouth and he's not thrilled astir this.

"These were existent women, Jack the Ripper was a existent idiosyncratic - it's not Jekyll and Hyde oregon Frankenstein."

Portsmouth metropolis assembly has granted the venue and intoxicant licence, but councillor Ian Holder said venue names were not covered by licensing laws.

He added: "We are successful nonstop interaction with the proprietor of the barroom to item and code people's understandable concerns arsenic portion of the enactment we are already doing with venues to tackle unit against women and girls.

"We are moving with spouse organisations successful the metropolis to found a web of businesses and venues wherever unit are trained to look retired for abusive behaviour and enactment those who person experienced harassment oregon intersexual violence."