[107] He began his sentence at HM Prison Parkhurst on 22 May 1981. When she got out of the car to urinate, he hit her from behind with a hammer. Despite being found sane at his trial, Sutcliffe was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe has died at the age of 74. [92][102] Links were also made between Sutcliffe and the murder of 38-year-old Mary Gregson in Shipley in August 1977, but Sutcliffe was able to be ruled out with DNA after a profile of the killer was extracted in 1999, and in 2000 another man was convicted of the killing. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead [46] At his trial, he pleaded not guilty to thirteen charges of murder, but guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He struck Rytka on the head five times as she exited his vehicle, before stripping most of the clothes from her body (although her bra and polo-neck jumper were positioned above her breasts) and repeatedly stabbing her in the chest. [86][88][87] Twelve of these occurred within West Yorkshire, while the others took place in other parts of the country. [71] In 1969, Sutcliffe, described in the Byford Report as an "otherwise unremarkable young man", came to the notice of police on two occasions over incidents with prostitutes. Ripper Notes Author: Dan Norder Publisher: Inklings Press ISBN: 0978911229 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 110 Get Book. [75], Yallop highlighted that Steel had always protested his innocence and been convicted on weak evidence. [64] After Sutcliffe's death in November 2020, West Yorkshire Police issued an apology for the "language, tone, and terminology" used by the force at the time of the criminal investigation, nine months after one of the victims' sons wrote on behalf of several of the victims' families.[65]. Was the Yorkshire Ripper Caught? Yorkshire Ripper's niece says his ashes were scattered at a seaside The last six attacks were on totally respectable women". But "for some inexplicable reason", said the Byford Report, the papers remained in a filing tray in the incident room until the murderer's arrest on 2 January [1981], the following year.[69]. Can women ever trust the Met Police again? I hasten to add that I feel sure that the senior police officers in the areas concerned are also mindful of this possibility but, in order to ensure full account is taken of all the information available, I have arranged for an effective liaison to take place.[69]. The 1982 Byford Report into the investigation concluded: "The ineffectiveness of the major incident room was a serious handicap to the Ripper investigation. "[27], On the night of 15 August, Sutcliffe attacked Olive Smelt in Halifax. A 1980 BBC segment on the Yorkshire Ripper case, including interviews with relatives of the victims of Peter Sutcliffe. No one felt safe - and every man was a suspect. [86] Although a hammer was not used, Sutcliffe also often used a knife to stab his victims. [90] One of these was Fred Craven, a bookkeeper murdered with a hammer on the same street Sutcliffe lived on in Bingley in 1966, and whose daughter Sutcliffe was known to have approached and been rejected by. [37], On 14 December, Sutcliffe attacked Marilyn Moore, another prostitute from Leeds. Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of unsolved murders in the United Kingdom (1970s), World's End murders of Helen Scott and Christine Eadie, This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, List of serial killers by number of victims, "The Yorkshire Ripper files: Why Chapeltown in Leeds was the 'hunting ground' of Peter Sutcliffe", "The Yorkshire Ripper files review a stunningly mishandled manhunt", "Sir Lawrence Byford: Yorkshire Ripper report author dies", "Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe 'was never mentally ill' claims detective who hunted him", "Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe's brother describes disturbing childhood growing up with notorious serial killer", "Who is the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe? [78], One murder that was linked to Sutcliffe in the book, that of Alison Morris in Ramsey, Essex, on 1 September 1979, took place only six and a half hours before his known killing of Barbara Leach in Bradford, over 200mi (320km) away. The Ripper was originally jailed for 20 years in 1981, with the sentence converted to a whole-life order in 2010. [84] It alleged that, between 1966 and 1980, Peter Sutcliffe was responsible for at least 22 more murders than he was convicted of. How Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was finally caught after fooling Although broadcast over two weeks, two episodes were shown consecutively each week. While he was awaiting trial, he murdered two more women (Marguerite Walls and Jacqueline. Police believed this was in fact a new version of Jack the Ripper one hoaxer even claimed to be the killer, referring to himself as "Jack" in at least one recording sent to investigators during the manhunt. [59]:83, In 1988, the mother of Sutcliffe's last victim, Jacqueline Hill, during an action for damages on behalf of her daughter's estate, argued in the case Hill v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire in the High Court that the police had failed to use reasonable care in apprehending Sutcliffe. The attitude in the West Yorkshire Police at the time reflected Sutcliffe's own misogyny and sexist attitudes, according to multiple sources. He is one of Britain's most notorious criminals - and 37 years ago this week, the killing spree of Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was finally brought to an end in Sheffield. [123] The hearing for Sutcliffe's appeal against the ruling began on 30 November 2010 at the Court of Appeal. [2]:71, Sutcliffe reportedly hired prostitutes as a young man, and it has been speculated that he had a bad experience during which he was conned out of money by a prostitute and her pimp. Video, 00:01:18 The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. [80] Sutcliffe was familiar with the estate where she was murdered and was known to have regularly frequented the area; in February 1977, only months before the murder, he was reported to police for acting suspiciously on the street Wilkinson lived. [12], Reportedly a loner, Sutcliffe left school at age 15 and had a series of menial jobs, including two stints as a gravedigger in the 1960s. [110] On 23 February 1996, he was attacked in his room in Broadmoor's Henley Ward. [12], Sutcliffe met Sonia Szurma on 14 February 1967; they married on 10 August 1974. He was unemployed until October 1976, when he found a job as an HGV driver for T. & W.H. Police visited Sutcliffe's home the next day, as the woman he had attacked had noted Birdsall's vehicle registration plate. A Netflix documentary, The Ripper, looks at Peter Sutcliffe's horrific crimes. His parents were John William Sutcliffe and his wife Kathleen Frances (ne Coonan), a native of Connemara. [11] In his late adolescence, Sutcliffe developed a growing obsession with voyeurism, and spent much time spying on prostitutes and the men seeking their services. BBC ON THIS DAY | 22 | 1981: Yorkshire Ripper jailed for life Byford described delays in following up vital tip-offs from Trevor Birdsall, an associate of Sutcliffe since 1966. The police told him he was "very lucky", as the woman did not want anything more to do with the incident. Peter Sutcliffe was sitting inside the vehicle with a sex worker, and instantly came to the officers' attention because he fit the description of the Yorkshire Ripper. [40] The hoaxer appeared to know details of the murders which had not been released to the press, but which in fact he had acquired from pub gossip and his local newspaper. [75][82] The location Wilkinson was killed was very close to Sutcliffe's place of employment at T. & W. H. Clark, where he would have clocked in for work that afternoon. Yorkshire Ripper's niece reveals his remains were scattered at the While awaiting trial, he killed two more women. While at Parkhurst he was seriously assaulted by James Costello, a 35-year-old career criminal with several convictions for violence. The whole thing is making my life a misery. He was caught by chance while . How and where was the Yorkshire Ripper caught? [76][75] Police eventually admitted in 1979 that the Yorkshire Ripper did not only attack prostitutes, but by this time a local man, Anthony Steel, had already been convicted of Wilkinson's murder. The murderer continued, going untraced over the next five years despite murdering 12 more women and attempting to kill seven others. There, officers searched his car and discovered screwdrivers in the glove compartment. 2,164. [6] Since his conviction in 1981 Sutcliffe has been linked to a number of other unsolved murders and attacks. The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. In December 2007, McCann's eldest daughter Sonia Newlands died by suicide, reportedly after years of anguish and depression over the circumstances of her mother's death, and consequences to her and her siblings. This feeling is reinforced by examining the details of a number of assaults on women since 1969 which, in some ways, clearly fall into the established pattern of Sutcliffe's overall modus operandi. Tyre tracks left near the murder scene resulted in a long list of possible suspect vehicles. The findings were made fully public in 2006, and confirmed the validity of the criticism of the force. Cosmopolitan, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network. On 25 November 1980, Birdsall sent an anonymous letter to police, the text of which ran as follows: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, I have good reason to now [sic] the man you are looking for in the Ripper case. On 17 June 1979, Humble sent a cassette to Assistant Chief Constable Oldfield, where he introduced himself only under the name "Jack" and claimed responsibility for the Ripper murders to that point. This inquiry also looked at the killings of two prostitutes in southern Sweden in 1980. June 26, 1977 The Yorkshire Ripper kills 16 year old shop assistant Jayne MacDonald in Leeds, changing public perception of the killer as she was the first victim who was not a . Shipley. Initially, Peter Sutcliffe was only stopped by police in Sheffield because they suspected his car had false number plates. [78], In 1982, West Yorkshire Police appointed detective Keith Hellawell to lead a secret investigation into possible additional murdered committed by Sutcliffe. [9][pageneeded], The first victim to be killed by Sutcliffe was Wilma McCann on 30 October. The series was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Serial at the 2001 awards. ", "Son of Yorkshire Ripper victim Emily Jackson says 'thank f*** for that' after killer's death", "How Coronation Street's Les Battersby actor became a Yorkshire Ripper suspect Bruce Jones says the mix-up cost him his marriage", "Peter Sutcliffe murdered 13 women: I was nearly one of them", "Wearside Jack: I deserve to go to jail for 'evil' Ripper hoax", "Yorkshire Ripper hoaxer Wearside Jack dies", "THE ATTACKS AND MURDERS - THERESA SYKES", "DNA helps police "solve" 1975 Joan Harrison murder", "Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe's weight-gain strategy in latest bid for freedom", "Yorkshire Ripper: Tribunal rules Peter Sutcliffe can be sent to mainstream prison", "Six more attacks that the Ripper won't admit", "Story of Yorkshire Ripper hoaxer "Wearside Jack" to be made into movie", Judgments Brooks (FC) (Respondent) versus Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis (Appellant) and others, "Families of Yorkshire Ripper victims receive police apology for language used during investigation", Report into the Police Handling of the Yorkshire Ripper Case, "Ripper guilty of additional crimes, says secret report", "Peter Sutcliffe, the bullied mummy's boy who gave millions nightmares", "BBC - Inside Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire - Ripper mystery", "Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders. After hosting a family party at his new home, he returned to the wasteland behind Manchester's Southern Cemetery, where he had left the body, to retrieve the note but was unable to find it. He had a number of underlying health problems, including obesity and diabetes. [70], The Byford Report's major findings were contained in a summary published by the Home Secretary, William Whitelaw, the first time precise details of the bungled police investigation had been disclosed. That month, Sutcliffe killed again. Drug kingpin Rehman was caught out after being identified as an Encrochat user who had facilitated the sale of drugs worth over 4million in an 11-week period. He went on to describe all the attacks in a detailed confession that lasted 24 hours. In November 2020, the man known as the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, died of COVID-19 at the age of 74. [34]:188, The trial judge said Sutcliffe was beyond redemption, and hoped he would never leave prison. Leeds was the epicentre of Ripper activity, with six murders and five attacks in the city. In total, Sutcliffe had been questioned by the police on nine separate occasions in connection with the Ripper enquiry before his eventual arrest and conviction. In August 2016, it was ruled that he was mentally fit to be returned to prison, and he was transferred that month to HM Prison Frankland in County Durham. [86], Another suspected victim of Sutcliffe was Yvonne Mysliwiec, a 21-year-old student attacked by a man with a ball-peen hammer at Ilkley train station in October 1979. After an attack with a pen by fellow inmate Ian Kay on 10 March 1997, Sutcliffe lost the vision in his left eye, and his right eye was severely damaged. Between November 1971 and April 1973, Sutcliffe worked at the Baird Television factory on a packaging line. Claxton survived and testified against Sutcliffe at his trial. The trial proper was set to commence on 5 May 1981. Sutcliffe committed his second assault on the night of 5 July 1975 in Keighley. [89], One of the cases investigated was an attack on student teacher Gloria Wood in November 1974, in which Wood was attacked as she walked home one evening in Bradford by a man who had asked if she needed help carrying her bags. Sutcliffe was not convicted of the attack but confessed to it in 1992. Now, Netflix is showing a documentary looking into the harrowing crimes the Yorkshire Ripper committed, in a new four part series. Again he was interrupted and left his victim badly injured but alive. Between 1975 and 1980 Sutcliffe preyed on women across Greater Manchester and Yorkshire. [94][92] In 2007 a man was tried for the murder of Elizabeth McCabe after a 1 in 40 million DNA match was found between his DNA and samples found on the victim's clothing, but he was found not guilty by a majority verdict at the conclusion of the trial. West Yorkshire Police made it clear that the victims wished to remain anonymous. In October 2020, it was announced that ITV was to produce a new six-part drama series about the Ripper. On 6 April 1991, Sutcliffe's father, John Sutcliffe, talked about his son on the television discussion programme After Dark. 13 November 2020 . [86][87] A list was complied of around sixty murders and attempted murders. When two policemen in Sheffield walked past a brown Rover in January 1981, and noticed the car's registration plate did not match the number on the tax disc, they stopped the man at the wheel. [84] As part of the research for the book, Clark and Tate claimed to have found evidence that pointed to the wrong man having been convicted for the Sewell murder, having unearthed a pathology report which allegedly indicated that the originally convicted Stephen Downing could not have committed the crime. [23][133][19][134] A private funeral ceremony was held, and Sutcliffe's body was cremated. [105] The Mayo, Stratford and Weedon cases did not feature in the 2022 documentary version of Clark's book. Sutcliffe died from diabetes-related complications in hospital, while in prison custody on 13 November 2020, at the age of 74. Thankfully, there is no reason to think he committed any further murderous assaults within that period. Peter Sutcliffe was a Bradford lorry driver who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper and . After allowing Sutcliffe to go to the toilet behind a nearby building, the police sent him to Dewsbury to be interviewed. He was the subject of one of the most expensive manhunts in British history, making fools of the West Yorkshire Police. Birdsall visited Bradford police station the day after sending the letter to repeat his misgivings about Sutcliffe. Eleven marches in various towns across the United Kingdom took place on the night of 12 November 1977. [91][93] The murder of teenager Mary Gallagher in Glasgow in 1978 was also believed to be included on Hellawell's list of possible victims, and he was said to be taking this case "very seriously". His victim was Yvonne Pearson, a 21-year-old prostitute from Bradford. How the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was finally caught - Cosmopolitan Two of Sutcliffe's murders took place in Manchester; all the others were in West Yorkshire. [84] Due to the popularity of the book it was in 2022 turned into a two-part prime-time ITV documentary series of the same name, which featured both Clark and Tate. On 10 January 1983, he followed Sutcliffe into the recess of F2, the hospital wing at Parkhurst, and plunged a broken coffee jar twice into the left side of Sutcliffe's face, creating four wounds requiring thirty stitches. I was just cleaning up the place a bit". [83], In 2003, Steel's conviction was quashed after it was found that his low IQ and mental capabilities made him a vulnerable interviewee, discrediting his supposed "confession" and confirming Yallop's long-standing suspicions that he had been wrongly convicted. Sutcliffe spent thirty years at Broadmoor Hospital before being moved to HMP Frankland in County Durham four years ago 2016. [100] After his conviction in 1981, South Yorkshire Police interviewed Sutcliffe on the murder of 29-year-old Doncaster prostitute Barbara Young, who had been hit over the head by a "tall, dark haired man" in an alleyway on the evening of 22 March 1977. [81] Furthermore, earlier on the day as Wilkinson's murder, Sutcliffe had gone back to mutilate Jordan's body before returning to Bradford, showing he had already gone out to attack victims that day and would have been in Bradford to attack Wilkinson after he come back from mutilating Jordan. The Yorkshire Ripper is definitely the less famous of the Rippers, but he is nonetheless deadly! Yorkshire Ripper's niece reveals seaside beauty spot where the killer's [126], In December 2015, Sutcliffe was assessed as being "no longer mentally ill". [122] Sutcliffe spent the rest of his life in custody. [72], We feel it is highly improbable that the crimes in respect of which Sutcliffe has been charged and convicted are the only ones attributable to him. By the mid-1970s Wilma, 28, was bringing up four kids on her own in a house with no carpets or heating. Paul Wilson, a convicted robber, asked to borrow a videotape before attempting to strangle Sutcliffe with the cable from a pair of stereo headphones. Forty years after Peter Sutcliffe's crimes, the police are making the It was one of the largest investigations by a British police force[55] and predated the use of computers. Sutcliffe was reported to have been transferred from Broadmoor to HM Prison Frankland in Durham, in August 2016. 38 Ripper's first victim, attacked with a hammer and knife after a night out. Yorkshire Ripper killings created 'culture of fear' - BBC News 1". [93][92] Also believed to be included were the murders of 20-year-old Anna Kenny, 36-year-old Hilda McAuley and 23-year-old Agnes Cooney in separate incidents in Glasgow in 1977, as well as the World's End murders of Helen Scott and Christine Eadie in Edinburgh in 1978. Yorkshire Ripper death: Force apology over victim descriptions The play focuses on the police force hunting Sutcliffe. He then disarranged her clothing and slashed her lower back with a knife. In August 1979 a prostitute, 32-year-old Wendy Jenkins, was killed in Bristol, and Avon and Somerset Police liaised with West Yorkshire Police about whether there was any potential links to the "Ripper" killing spree. Warning: This article contains details of violence some readers may find distressing. In December 2020, Netflix released a four-part documentary entitled The Ripper, which recounts the police investigation into the murders with interviews from living victims, family members of victims and police officers involved in the investigation. She survived and provided police with a description of her attacker. Peter Sutcliffe, the 'Yorkshire Ripper': How the serial killer was caught A detailed history, The ending of Sex/Life season 2 explained, 'Hollywood Ripper' murdered Ashton Kutcher's date. But after a pattern began to emerge with all the killings - victims were all struck over the head with a hammer before being stabbed with a knife or screwdriver - it was clear they were after one man. Owing to the sensational nature of the case, the police handled an exceptional amount of information, some of it misleading (including hoax correspondence purporting to be from the "Ripper"). The third book (and second episodic television adaptation) in David Peace's Red Riding series is set against the backdrop of the Ripper investigation. Sue MacGregor discussed the investigation with John Domaille, who later became assistant chief constable of West Yorkshire Police; Andy Laptew, who was a junior detective who interviewed Sutcliffe; Elaine Benson, who worked in the incident room and interviewed suspects; David Zackrisson, who investigated the "Wearside Jack" tape and letters in Sunderland; and Christa Ackroyd, a local journalist in Halifax. [66][34][67] Jim Hobson, a senior West Yorkshire detective, told a press conference in October 1979 the perpetrator: "has made it clear that he hates prostitutes. With the evidence mounting up against him, after two days of questioning Peter Sutcliffe eventually admitted being the Yorkshire Ripper. I have the greatest respect for you George, but Lord! [108] In March 1984, Sutcliffe was sent to Broadmoor Hospital, under Section 47 of the Mental Health Act 1983.[109]. Birth date: June 2, 1946. He often used the services of sex workers in Leeds and Bradford and targeted them. [75] In 2015, former detective Chris Clark and investigative journalist Time Tate published a book, Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders,[84] which supported the theory that Sutcliffe had murdered Wilkinson, pointing out that her body had been posed and partially stripped in a manner similar to the Ripper's modus operandi. How They Were Caught: The Yorkshire Ripper - YouTube [88] At this time police also announced they were ready to bring charges against Sutcliffe for another attack on a woman who was listed as a possible victim of Sutcliffe by Hellawell, Mo Lea, who had been attacked with a hammer in Leeds in October 1980 by a man matching Sutcliffe's description. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [86] At the time detectives did not believe Schlessinger's murder was a Ripper killing as she was not a prostitute. [34]:190[35] Sutcliffe seriously assaulted Maureen Long in Bradford in July. [92] Sutcliffe was also linked to the 1975 murder of Lesley Molseed after a man was found to have been wrongly imprisoned for the crime in 1992, but Ronald Castree was convicted of his murder after a DNA match in 2007. In April 1980, Sutcliffe was arrested for drunk driving. [69], Amongst other things, Byford's report asserted that there was a high likelihood of Sutcliffe having claimed more victims both during and before his known killing spree.