Someone in Brighton and Hove could hold the ultimate clue to the identity of Jack the Ripper, investigators believe.

'Ripperologists' believe the Whitechapel murderer was brought to Hove to be identified at the end of his bloody killing spree. But his name remains a mystery.

So hot is the trail that the next international Jack the Ripper conference is to be held in the city.

Ripper fans believe someone, somewhere in Brighton and Hove may hold the key to identifying the killer.

Researcher and writer AP Wolf is centring his investigation on an imposing house in Portland Road, Hove, formerly Clarendon Villas Road.

Mr Wolf, from Jersey, said: "There is a little-known link between Jack the Ripper and Brighton and Hove. The house in question was a one-time seaside police convalescent home.

"According to records written in 1910 by Chief Inspector Swanson, the man in charge of the Ripper investigation, the chief suspect was arrested and held in a lunatic asylum.

"The only person who could identify him was in the seaside convalescent home so the suspect was hauled to Brighton to be paraded in front of this police officer."

Mr Wolf said the officer "unhesitatingly" identified him and the suspect was taken back to London and returned to the asylum awaiting trial.

Mr Wolf said: "I'm guessing the suspect was a disturbed young man called Thomas Hayne Cutbush, who did actually appear in court named as Jack the Ripper, and the person who identified him was his uncle, Chief Executive Superintendent Charles Henry Cutbush."

When the case came to court, the officer refused to give evidence against him. The suspect was sent to Broadmoor where he remained until he died. The officer subsequently went insane and shot himself in the head.

Mr Wolf said: "It is likely if records could be traced naming the residents of the home between 1890 and 1895, it might be possible to finally put a name to Jack the Ripper."

Mr Wolf, who has written a book about Jack the Ripper, said: "It seems there is a connection here and it is one of the strongest leads we have. I hope someone will be able to help us."

The Ripper case has fascinated people for more than 100 years. The knifeman is thought to have murdered five or more women in the East End of London in 1888.

Although he was not the first serial killer, he was the first to achieve such notoriety in the Press because he left his horribly mutilated victims lying in the street.

Fascination over the killings has spawned a whole industry and next year the Casebook Jack the Ripper conference is being held in Brighton in October.

Crime writers have now busied themselves with the Jack the Ripper's horrific cloak-and-dagger crimes for more than a century.

The mystery surrounding him has created an intellectual puzzle thousands of 'Ripperologists' are desperate to solve.

It is only recently the Ripper's modus operandi has been established. Rather than grabbing his victims from behind, it is now thought he stood face to face with the prostitute he was about to kill.

As the women hitched up their skirts with their hands, leaving them defenceless, he seized their throats. Once dead or unconscious he lowered them to the ground - always their heads to his left - before cutting their throats.

There was never any sign of intercourse but it is believed the killer had some degree of anatomical knowledge because of the speed and skill with which he removed some of their internal organs.

Mr Wolf said: "I would love to hear from anyone who might know how to track down the missing records and help us finally put a name to Jack the Ripper."