copycat

A JACK the Ripper copycat who stalked the same streets as the serial killer has died in jail.

Derek Brown has died at the age of 64 after being taken to hospital.

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Brown was sentenced to a minimum term of 30 years on October 6 2008 after he was found guilty of murdering DVD seller Xiao Mei Guo, 29, and prostitute Bonnie Barrett, 24.

He denied murder but admitted paying both women for sex before their disappearance in 2007.

The previously convicted rapist found his victims in the Whitechapel area of London – famously stalked by Jack the Ripper in the 1880s.

A search of Brown’s Rotherhithe flat found traces of blood belonging to both women, as well as a receipt for a bow saw, heavy duty gloves, rubble sacks and cleaning materials.

Brown was serving his sentence in HMP Wakefield but is believed to have become unwell last month.

He was taken to hospital and died two days later on September 9 at the age of 64 – just days away from his 65th birthday.

However, his victims remains have never been found to this day.

A source close to Brown said: “He was in critical care since Saturday.

“They found him in his cell on Saturday, and he was in critical care since Saturday 5pm until Monday when he died at 3pm.”

Police at the time of the murders believed Brown sought “notoriety” for the killings.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Kandiah said: “If he kept killing prostitutes from the Whitechapel area, then that link (with Jack the Ripper) would be made.

“If this was a spree, it seems likely that we stopped him at number two.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Derek Brown died in hospital on 29 September while serving a sentence at HMP Wakefield.

“As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”

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June 3 (UPI) — The maker of Chips Ahoy cookies is suing a discount grocery store chain, claiming it “blatantly” copied its chocolate chip cookie and other snack packaging to “deceive and confuse” customers.

Mondelez, which also makes Oreos and Wheat Thins, filed the federal lawsuit May 27 against German grocer Aldi, seeking monetary damages and a court order to stop Aldi from selling the products. Aldi has more than 2,400 locations in the United States.

The suit claims the supermarket chain, which has its U.S. headquarters in Illinois, also copied the snack company’s packaging for its Teddy Grahams, Belvita biscuits, Nutter Butters and Ritz crackers.

“Defendant is in the business of selling private label cookie and cracker snacks and has a pattern and practice of selling products in packaging that are unacceptable copies of Mondelez’s trade dress,” the lawsuit states.

“Because of this misconduct, Mondelez has a history of enforcing its intellectual property rights against Defendant,” the filing continues. “Indeed, Mondelez has contacted Defendant on numerous occasions objecting to Defendant’s use of confusingly similar packaging and demanding that Defendant cease and desist its unlawful infringement.”

In the lawsuit, Mondelez displays side-by-side photos of Chips Ahoy cookies in blue and red packaging and Aldi’s Chocolate Chip cookies in a similar blue or red. Nutter Butters in their red packaging are shown next to Aldi’s Peanut Butter Creme-filled cookies also in red, and the yellow Wheat Thins box with small square crackers is shown next to Aldi’s Thin Wheat crackers box, also in yellow with a picture of small square crackers.

“Defendant’s actions are likely to deceive and confuse consumers and dilute the distinctive quality of Mondelez’s unique product packaging,” according to the lawsuit, “and if not stopped, threaten to irreparably harm Mondelez and its valuable brands.”