A Gwent author is researching a new book in which he links a notorious valleys killer to the unsolved murders of eight London prostitutes.

Neil Milkins, 56, from Roseheyworth, Abertillery, has tracked the movements of convicted child murderer Harold Jones and claims he has linked them with eight murders in Hammersmith between 1959 and 1965.

Mr Milkins released his first book about Jones last year, entitled Every Mother’s Nightmare, accounting how he was jailed at the age of 15 after being found guilty of raping and killing Freda Burnell, eight, and Florence Little, 11, in Abertillery in 1921.

Jones served 20 years and when he was released in 1941 he moved to Fulham.

The Hammersmith murders Mr Milkins is now focusing on became known as the Nude Murders because each victim was found naked except for stockings and dumped in areas around London or in the River Thames.

The murderer, who was given the name Jack the Stripper, was never caught.

In his new book Mr Milkins claims he has linked Jones to three of the victims and a man named Mungo Ireland, who was a police suspect at the time of the murders.

He researched addresses Jones lived at in London during the 1960s and found strong geographical links between his residences and the addresses of the murder victims.

Jones died in Hammersmith in 1971.

Mr Milkins has examined psychologist and prison reports about Jones and visited local history and newspaper archives.

He has been fascinated with Jones since reading about him in the Argus in the 1980s.

The new book is almost finished and he said using the internet to appeal for information and photographs through chat forums has helped the project take shape so quickly.

Mr Milkins said: "For the last book I was visiting Newport and Cwmbran libraries a couple of times a week to get information and now I've got it all here in front of me on the computer."

He has not yet decided on the book’s title but anticipates it will be on sale in July or August.