The Yorkshire Ripper is the name given to the serial killer, Peter Sutcliffe, a lorry driver who killed at least 13 women and attempted to kill seven others in England in the 1970s. He was arrested and given 20 life sentences in 1981.
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Sutcliffe has been described as a strange teenager and was interested in spying on prostitutes. His behavior did not improve as an adult when it was believed that he starting using prostitutes and had a sick sense of humor. Although there is no official reason why Sutcliffe started murdering women, some believe that he was conned out of money by a prostitute. The first attack he committed was on the woman he believed had conned him. He attacked her and hit her around the head with a rock in a sock in 1969. His crime spree started in 1975 when he began attacking women who were walking alone. His first two victims were attacked from behind and stabbed repeatedly. But Sutcliffe was interrupted during these attacks and was not able to complete his murder plan. It was his third victim, Wilma McCann, who was the first woman that he murdered. After hitting her around the head with a hammer twice, and stabbed her 15 times in the neck and stomach.
Bruce Jones, the actor who played Les Battersby on Coronation Street, found the body of Jean Jordan on 9th October 1977.
Sutcliffe was interviewed several times by the police in connection to the Yorkshire Ripper murders but was released every time. The Yorkshire Police have come under heavy criticism over the years because they had Sutcliffe in for questioning. It was only after his arrest and two days of questioning that Sutcliffe cracked and confessed to the murders.
While at Parkhurst he was seriously assaulted by James Costello, a 35-year-old career criminal with several convictions for violence. 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. But this would not be the only time he would be attacked while in prison. On 23 February 1996, he was attacked in his room in Broadmoor’s Henley Ward. Paul Wilson, a convicted robber, asked to borrow a videotape before attempting to strangle Sutcliffe with the cable from a pair of stereo headphones. On 10 March 1997, Sutcliffe lost the vision in his left eye, and his right eye was severely damaged after he was attacked with a pen by fellow inmate Ian Kay. On 22 December 2007, Sutcliffe was attacked by fellow inmate Patrick Sureda, who lunged at him with a metal cutlery knife while shouting, “You fucking raping, murdering bastard, I’ll blind your fucking other one!” Sutcliffe flung himself backward and the blade missed his right eye, stabbing him in the cheek.
Recently it was reported that he could face more murder charges after being declared legally sane. The Daily Mail has reported that he confessed to his father about his mental health over 15 years ago.
Some theories have suggested that Sutcliffe is not the Yorkshire Ripper but a mentally disturbed individual who attempted to copy-cat the real killer. Although Sutcliffe is responsible for some of the murders (it is believed to be 4 of the victims are his), it is believed that another person is responsible for most of the victims. This theory rests on the fact that Sutcliffe had been questioned and released by the police on multiple occasions.
Sutcliffe died at the University Hospital of North Durham aged 74 years old on 13 November 2020. He had previously returned to HMP Frankland following treatment for a suspected heart attack at the same hospital two weeks prior. Over the years, he had developed a number of health problems, including diabetes which he was diagnosed with in 2003. He had been diagnosed with COVID-19, for which he refused treatment. A private funeral ceremony was held, and Sutcliffe’s body was cremated.
