By Ben Kerrigan-
Downing Street has condemned Peter Sutcliffe as a “depraved and evil individual” who rightfully died behind bars.
Sutcliffe died after developing the coronavirus “The prime minister’s thoughts today are with those who lost their lives, the survivors and with the families and the friends of Sutcliffe’s victims,” Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said. Sutcliffe, who was also found guilty of the attempted murder of seven women, was convicted in 1981. He spent three decades at Broadmoor Hospital before being moved to HMP Frankland in County Durham in 2016.
Sutcliffe was dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper because he mutilated his victims’ bodies using a hammer, screwdriver and knife.
Sutcliffe escaped justice for so long after being helped by a hoaxer. A total of 40,000 interviews were conducted during the hunt, and Sutcliffe was interviewed at least five times by the police. But he lied his way out of trouble each time. He is said to have believed he was on a “mission from God” to kill prostitutes, although not all of his victims were sex workers.
An inquiry held after his conviction said a backlog of case paperwork meant officers were unable to connect vital pieces of information. The first two victims, Ms McCann and Emily Jackson, were killed in Chapeltown, which was known at the time for containing Leeds’ main red light district.
Following the second murder, West Yorkshire Police announced they were looking for a “prostitute killer”, leading to accusations key eyewitness evidence was being ignored as it did not fit detectives’ narrative. One of his surviving victims said that 44 years on she still suffers from the effects of his attack in Leeds.
Marcella Claxton told Sky News: “I have to live with my injuries, 54 stitches in my head, back and front, plus I lost a baby, I was four months pregnant.
“I still get headaches, dizzy spells and black outs.
“Peter Sutcliffe was a depraved and evil individual whose crimes caused unimaginable suffering and appalled this country, nothing will ever detract from the harm that he caused, but it is right that he died behind bars for his barbaric murders and for his attempted murders.”
Sutcliffe’s killing spree was one of the worst in the history of the Uk, as he reigned terror in the north of England, evading police who tried endlessly to catch him. His nick name of ripper was in reference to the Victorian killer Jack the Ripper who also mutilated his victims.
In all, 13 women were killed and seven more were viciously attacked, although police suspect the number of victims is higher.
“I still get headaches, dizzy spells and black outs.”
Victims
His victims including teenage girls, shop assistants and prostitutes – meant no woman was safe with Sutcliffe at large. During the five years it took police to catch him during his murderous rampage, women in some areas were urged not to go out alone at night.
“Do not go out at night unless absolutely necessary and only if accompanied by a man you know,” police warned at the time.
Her son Richard McCann told Sky News: “He ruined so many lives.
“He will go down as one of those figures from the twentieth century in the same league I suppose as someone like Hitler.
“It was never just a drunken fight, he went out there with tools and implements and he murdered people again and again and again and again.”