Was Peter Tobin really Bible John?
Examining the theory that Peter Tobin, the Scottish serial killer was responsible for the Bible John killings in Glasgow in the late 1960s.
The mystery surrounding the identity of Bible John continues to be of great interest to the people of Scotland and beyond and yet no solid evidence has ever been uncovered to establish Bible John’s true identity. A well-documented theory claims that the convicted serial killer Peter Tobin was responsible for the murders. In this edition of the Scottish True Crime blog, we’ll examine the evidence and ask the question, was Peter Tobin really Bible John?
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The Barrowland Ballroom towards the east of the city was where Bible John is said to have met his victims. To this day the Barrowland Ballroom remains an iconic concert venue in Glasgow and regularly hosts famous music artists from across the world. During the late 1960s the Barrowland Ballroom was as the name might suggest, a ballroom. It was well known for hosting dance nights where young revellers would meet to dance the night away to live bands with friends. It had also gained a reputation for being somewhere where Glaswegians would go in search of a casual fling. It was said that men and woman would often hook up at the ballroom and then spend the rest of the night together, regardless of whether they had wives or husbands waiting for them at home. It is thought that this factor may have hindered witnesses coming forward at the time.
During this time in the late 1960s, the murders of three young woman who had all been out dancing at the Barrowland Ballroom shocked the people of Glasgow and spread fear across the city. Bible John was given his name after a crucial witness named Jean Langford, who along with her sister, had shared a taxi home with a man named John after a night at the ballroom. She told police that throughout the night he had quoted several passages from the Bible and commented on leading a life of Christian values. He had also described the Barrowland Ballroom as an “adulterous den of iniquity”. Jean advised police she had exited the taxi near where she lived in Knightswood and left John and her sister to continue their journey home towards Scotstoun. Her sister’s name was Helen Puttock and her body was found the next day behind a block of tenement flats not far from her home. The sisters were also in the company of another man that evening also named John, who left the group shortly before they got into the taxi. Sadly this person never came forward and Helen Puttock would become Bible John’s third victim.
Bible John is thought to have claimed a total of three victims between 1968–1969. His victims were 25 year old auxiliary nurse Patricia Docker on the 23rd of February 1968, 32 year old mother of three Jemima MacDonald on 16th of August 1969 and Helen Puttock aged 29 on the 30th of October 1969. All three murders appeared to follow a clear modus operandi with severe beatings to the face and death by strangulation. It was this modus operandi that has added certainty to a theory by leading criminologist Professor David Wilson that Peter Tobin is Bible John.
During the evidence at Peter Tobin’s trial for the murder of Dinah McNicol, a witness who had accepted a lift from Tobin after a festival he had attended with Dinah, had recalled their conversation with Tobin. Tobin made claims that another festival in the area was “more his style” and that he was trying to come across as socially superior. Wilson thinks that this was an attempt to put his passengers at ease, the same way in which Bible John did by referring to passages from the bible in the back of that fateful taxi journey in 1969. Professor Wilson claims at the trial Tobin remained expressionless throughout however at this moment he looked up from the box as he realised the significance of what the witness had just said. Professor Wilson also believes that Tobin bears a strong resemblance to photofits made at the time. Wilson is confident in this theory and has publicly stated he is willing to put his reputation on it and has written a book about the murders.
As it stands, Professor David Wilson appears to be the only credible person convinced that Peter Tobin was Bible John. Crime reporter for the Daily Record, Jane Hamilton has challenged Wilson’s theory. Hamilton argues that Peter Tobin was no longer in Glasgow at the time of the 2nd and 3rd murders so has ruled out Tobin being responsible for those particular murders. However, on an episode of Professor Wilson’s podcast “If it Bleeds it Leads”, the two do appear to agree that Peter Tobin was the likely killer of at least the 1st victim. While Hamilton continues to argue that the further two killings were copycat killings, David Wilson is convinced Peter Tobin was responsible and is Bible John.
An article in the Scottish Daily Express references a detailed report submitted to them by an amateur websleuth known only as Nate and offers an alternative theory on the case. The theory claims that Peter Tobin and another well-known Scottish serial killer, Angus Sinclair were responsible for the murders. Nate claims to have uncovered evidence that Angus Sinclair may have known one of the Bible John victims. He has stated that relatives of Angus Sinclair lived on the same street as Bible John’s first victim, Patricia Docker. He said Angus Sinclair was a regular visitor to the street where they lived in Langside on the southside of Glasgow. Patricia Docker was found only a few streets from her home and was the first victim of Bible John. Nate has pinned the remaining two murders on Tobin. He claims to have uncovered evidence that Jemima MacDonald lived next door to a man named ‘Daniel Tobin’ who he believes was a cousin of Peter Tobin.
What do you think about these connections uncovered by Nate and do you think this evidence is reliable?
Former detective David Swindle who investigated Peter Tobin as part of operation Anagram is not convinced of any links to Tobin. He has gone on record to state there is no solid evidence that Peter Tobin is Bible John and also that there is no solid evidence confirming the Bible John killings were the work of the same person. In a documentary aired on the BBC Scotland named ‘The Hunt for Bible John’, David Swindle reaffirmed his stance on the case. He explained that as part of operation Anagram, semen from the scene of the Helen Puttock murder was analysed and compared to the DNA of Peter Tobin. There was no match. Swindle also believes that Tobin was in Brighton at the time of the murders.
Peter Tobin’s ex wife Margaret MacIntosh has also rubbished claims and is wholly unconvinced he is Bible John. She provides solid evidence in support of her claims. She told the Scottish Sun that she married Tobin in a registry office in Brighton ten days before the second killing and did not return to Glasgow until after the date of the second murder. She states that Tobin was actually arrested while they were in Brighton. He was arrested in relation to a theft and both Margaret and Tobin returned to Glasgow in the back of a police car with Tobin handcuffed to a police officer.
According to several newspaper reports in March 2021, Peter Tobin himself reportedly dismissed claims he is Bible John. He told a cell mate:
“People just think I’m Bible John but I’m not. It wasn’t me. Nothing to do with me. I didn’t kill them”.
Despite the denial of his involvement in the Bible John killings he is said to have gone on and told a cell mate that there are more bodies. Interestingly he is said to have admitted killing a woman from the Barrowland Ballroom that isn’t one of the Bible John killings. According to this source he also admitted to killing a total of 10 women including a woman from Brighton who has never been found.
In 2010 all realistic hope of uncovering the true identify of Bible John was ended after the death of the only living witness in the case, Jean Langford, who along with her sister had shared a taxi with Bible John. Despite never speaking publicly about what she had witnessed, her death sparked sensationalised claims that, on her death bed, she had confirmed it was Peter Tobin who they had shared a taxi with that night. However, this claim was quickly dismissed by family members. They advised that another member of the family had sold the false story to tabloid newspapers simply to make money from the story. They stated she had never spoken about Tobin but of another suspect named John McInnes, who’s body had been exhumed in 1996 as part of the investigation. At the time, John McInnes was ruled out however new evidence has emerged that suggests John McInnes may have had some involvement. This will be explored at a later date……
In October 2022, Peter Tobin died in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary handcuffed to his bed while serving life sentences for the murders of Dinah McNicol, Vicky Hamilton and Angelika Kluk. As his health deteriorated, officers from Police Scotland attempted to encourage Tobin to give them information about other murders he had committed, but he refused. He was eventually cremated by Edinburgh City Council and his ashes were disposed of at sea after no family members came forward to claim his remains.
On considering the information available, it seems more and more likely that the Bible John killings were not all committed by the same person. While there is some possibility Tobin could be responsible for at least one of the murders, it is almost certain that the man in the back of the taxi in 1969, who was eventually named Bible John was not Peter Tobin. Therefore, it seems fair to ask the question, did Bible John ‘the serial killer’ even exist?
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