Peter William Sutcliffe (born June 2, 1946), commonly referred to as the "Yorkshire Ripper", was convicted in 1981 of the murders of thirteen women in the north of England and attacks on seven more from 1975 to 1980. June 2 is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Early life

Sutcliffe was born in Bingley, West Yorkshire, the son of a mill-worker. Reportedly a loner at school, he left formal education at the age of fifteen and took a series of menial jobs, including a stint as a grave-digger, before settling into a job on the nightshift at a local factory. Bingley is a town in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, five miles north west of Bradford. ... West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

He met Sonia Szurma in 1966, and they married on 10 August 1974. Shortly after his marriage, he was made redundant from Anderton International where he was working night shifts. He used the pay-off to gain an HGV licence in June 1975, and began working as a driver on 29 September of that year. His wife suffered a number of miscarriages, and eventually the couple were informed that she would not be able to have children. Shortly after this, his wife returned to a teacher-training course. When she completed the course in 1977 and began teaching, the couple used the extra money to buy their first house, in Heaton, Bradford, where he moved in late September 1977. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... In UK employment law, redundancy is the dismissal of an employee when his or her job becomes unnecessary. ... Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) is the new formal term in the United Kingdom for goods vehicles (i. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or accidental termination of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or the fetus is incapable of surviving, generally defined at a gestation of prior to 20 weeks. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Heaton is a small village in [[Bradford] filled with cynics], West Yorkshire, England. ... The larger City of Bradford Metropolitan District includes other settlements in the surrounding area. ...

Criminal record

Victims

Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering the following 13 victims:

October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... // Introduction Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is one of the biggest inner-city parks in Europe. ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (114th in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The larger City of Bradford Metropolitan District includes other settlements in the surrounding area. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... This page is about the City of Manchester in England. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Huddersfield is a large town in England near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of about 82,000. ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Farsley is a district of Leeds, ((West Yorkshire]], 6 miles to the west of the city centre, and 4 miles east of Bradford. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Hyde Park Corner, Leeds Headingley is a suburb of the English city of Leeds in the county of West Yorkshire. ...

1975

The first known assault by Sutcliffe was in Keighley on the night of 5 July 1975. He attacked Anna Rogulskyj (aged 36), who was walking alone, striking her unconscious with a ball-pein hammer and slashing her stomach with a knife. Disturbed by a neighbour, he left without killing her. Anna Rogulskyj survived after extensive medical attention. Later she would meet Sutcliffe's father, encouraging him to probe his fingers into the two indents that still remain in the back of her head. Sutcliffe attacked Olive Smelt (aged 46) in Halifax in August with the same MO and again was disturbed and left his victim badly injured. Later in August he attacked Tracy Browne (aged 14) in Silsden. She was struck from behind and hit on the head five times while walking in a country lane. Sutcliffe was not convicted of this attack, but later confessed to it. Keighley (pronounced Keith-ly or ) is a town and civil parish in the county of West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Bradford, on the meeting point of the River Aire and the River Worth. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... A 380 mm (15 in) ball-peen hammer. ... Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of about 82,000. ... Modus operandi (often used in the abbreviated form MO) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as mode of operation. ... Silsden is a town in West Yorkshire, England. ...

His next victim, Wilma McCann of Leeds (aged 28), a prostitute from the Chapeltown district of Leeds, and a mother of four, was killed on 30 October. Sutcliffe struck her twice with a hammer before stabbing her fifteen times. An extensive inquiry, involving 150 police officers and 11,000 interviews, did not uncover Sutcliffe. Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ... Chapeltown is an inner-city suburb of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and is the centre of the citys British Afro-Caribbean community. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 62 days remaining. ...

1976

He did not kill again until January 1976, stabbing Emily Jackson (aged 42) 51 times in Leeds. 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

Owing to repeated absenteeism, Sutcliffe lost his first driving job in March 1976 and did not find another until October. He attacked Marcella Claxton (aged 20), a prostitute, in Roundhay Park in Leeds on 9 May. He struck her with a hammer and left her with 25 stab wounds. May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (130th in leap years). ...

1977

Sutcliffe's next murder took place in February 1977. He attacked Irene Richardson (aged 28), another Chapeltown prostitute, in Roundhay Park, killing her with a series of weighty hammer blows, followed by a post-mortem stabbing. Tyre tracks left near the murder scene resulted in an enormous list of possible suspect vehicles. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

Two months later he killed Patricia "Tina" Atkinson (aged 32), a Bradford prostitute, at her flat, where police found a bootprint on the bedclothes. After another two months, Sutcliffe committed another vicious murder in Chapeltown; his youngest victim, Jayne MacDonald (aged 16) was not a prostitute, and in the public perception, her death showed that every woman was a potential victim. Sutcliffe seriously assaulted Maureen Long (aged 42) in Bradford in July; interrupted, he left her for dead. A witness misidentified the make of his car; over 300 police officers working the case amassed 12,500 statements and checked thousands of cars, without result.

Sutcliffe killed a Manchester prostitute, Jean Jordan (aged 20) in October. Her body was not found for ten days, but had obviously been moved several days after death. The recovery of her handbag offered a valuable piece of evidence. Sutcliffe had given the woman £5. The note was new and was traced to branches of the Midland Bank in Shipley and Bingley. Extensive replication by police of a how a branch worked over a three-week period resulted in pinning down the note supplied to one of 8,000 local employees as part of their wages. Over three months, the police interviewed 5,000 men, including Sutcliffe, but did not connect him to the crime. Sutcliffe had known the note could expose him: he had returned to the body a week after the killing, and, unable to find the handbag, had tried to remove Jordan's head with a broken pane of glass and a hacksaw. Chillingly, he did this after hosting a family party at his new home. Jordan's body was discovered by Bruce Jones, who later went on to play the part of Les Battersby in the long-running TV soap opera Coronation Street. This page is about the City of Manchester in England. ... Sterling banknotes are the banknotes of the United Kingdom and British Islands, denominated in pounds sterling (GBP). ... The Midland Bank (now part of HSBC) opened as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836. ... Bruce Jones (born 24 January 1948, Collyhurst, Manchester, United Kingdom) is a British actor best known for his role as cab driver Les Battersby-Brown in Coronation Street. ... For Philippine soap opera, see Teleserye. ... Coronation Street is Britains longest-running television soap opera, first broadcast on Friday December 9, 1960, in the Granada region of ITV. The programme is consistently the highest-rated programme on British television. ...

Sutcliffe attacked another Leeds prostitute, Marilyn Moore (aged 25) in December. She survived, and provided police with a description of her attacker. Tyre tracks found at the scene matched those from an earlier attack.

1978

Despite this, the police withdrew their intensive search for the person who received the £5 in January 1978. Sutcliffe was interviewed about the £5 note, but not investigated further; he would ultimately be contacted, and disregarded, by the Ripper Squad many more times. In that month Sutcliffe killed again, attacking a Bradford prostitute, Yvonne Pearson (aged 21), this time hiding the body under a discarded sofa so that it was not found until March. He killed a Huddersfield prostitute, Helen Rytka (aged 18), in late January; her body was uncovered three days later. 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Huddersfield is a large town in England near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme. ...

After a two-month hiatus Sutcliffe killed again, attacking Vera Millward (aged 40) in the car park of the Manchester Royal Infirmary on 16 May. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (137th in leap years). ...

1979

Almost a year passed before he struck again; during this time his mother died. On 4 April 1979, he killed Josephine Whitaker (aged 19), a bank clerk, in Halifax; he assaulted her on Savile Park moor as she was walking home. Despite new forensic clues, the police efforts were diverted for several months into a fruitless search for a man with a Wearside accent, which was pinned down to the Castletown area of Sunderland, following a hoax tape message taunting Superintendent George Oldfield, who was leading the search. The same hoaxer (dubbed "Wearside Jack") had sent two letters to the police boasting of his crimes in 1978 signed "Jack The Ripper" and claimed a murder (that of 26-year-old Joan Harrison) in Preston in November 1975. On 20 October 2005, John Humble, an unemployed alcoholic and long-time resident of the Ford Estate area of Sunderland (a mile away from Castletown), was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice in response to the sending of the hoax letters and tape, and remanded in custody. On March 21, 2006 he was sentenced to eight years in prison for perverting the course of justice. It is expected that he will also be questioned in connection with the Harrison murder. April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... This is about the city of Sunderland in England. ... Castletown is an area of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear. ... The Wearmouth Bridge Sunderland (pronounced: , or ) is a city in North East England which was formerly a county borough, and is now part of the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear. ... Wearside Jack is the nickname given to John Samuel Humble (born January 8, 1956), a hoaxer who pretended to be the Yorkshire Ripper in the late 1970s. ... Preston is a city and local government district in North West England. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... King Alcohol and his Prime Minister circa 1820 Alcoholism is the consumption of or preoccupation with alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the alcoholics normal personal, family, social, or work life. ... Ford Estate is a suburb in Sunderland. ... In British law, perversion of the course of justice is a criminal offence in which someone acts in a manner that in some way prevents justice being served on themselves or other parties. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (81st in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Sutcliffe killed Barbara Leach (aged 20) in September. Leach was a Bradford student murdered near the University behind her lodgings in Back Ash Grove — it was his sixteenth attack. Yet again the murder of a woman who was not a prostitute alarmed the public and prompted an expensive publicity campaign, which unfortunately pushed the Wearside connection. Even with this false lead, Sutcliffe was re-interviewed on at least two occasions in 1979, but despite matching several forensic clues and being on the list of just 300 names in connection with the £5 note, he was not strongly suspected. In total, Sutcliffe was interviewed by the police on nine occasions.

1980

In April 1980 he was arrested for drunken driving. While awaiting trial on this charge he killed two more women, Marguerite Walls (aged 47) in August and Jacqueline Hill (aged 20), a student at Leeds University, in November 1980. He also attacked two other women who survived — Upadhya Bandara (aged 34) in Leeds and Theresa Sykes (aged 16) in Huddersfield. Following the November murder, one of Sutcliffe's friends reported him to the police as a suspect; this information vanished into the enormous volumes already created. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... University Tower, University of Leeds The University of Leeds (United Kingdom) is amongst the largest of British universities and the most popular by applicants, with 52,444 applicants in 2003 for 7,228 places (UCAS). ...

1981 arrest and trial

On 2 January 1981 he was stopped by the police with prostitute Olivia Reivers (aged 24) in the driveway of Light Trades House, Melbourne Avenue, Broomhill, Sheffield, South Yorkshire; he was arrested, on grounds of having fitted his car with false number plates. He was transferred to Dewsbury police station in connection with this offence. At Dewsbury he was questioned in relation to the Yorkshire Ripper case, as he matched so many of the physical characteristics known. The discovery the next day of a knife, hammer and rope he had disposed of at the time and place of his arrest along Melbourne Avenue (he used the pretext of needing to urinate to absent himself briefly from the arresting officers) increased police interest, and they obtained a search warrant for his home at 6 Garden Lane in the Heaton district of Bradford and brought his wife in for questioning. January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Broomhill ward—which includes the districts of Broomhill, Crookesmoor, Endcliffe, and Tapton—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. ... A vehicle registration plate, also called a license plate or number plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. ... Dewsbury is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, to the west of Wakefield, in the borough of Kirklees. ... Heaton is a small village in [[Bradford] filled with cynics], West Yorkshire, England. ...

When Sutcliffe was stripped of his clothing at the police station, he was discovered to be wearing a V-neck sweater under his trousers; the arms had been pulled over his legs, so that the V-neck exposed his groin; the elbows were padded to protect his knees as, presumably, he knelt over his victims' corpses. The sexual implications of this outfit were held to be obvious, but this fact was not communicated to the public until disclosure in a book by Michael Bilton, published in 2003, called Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After two days of intensive questioning, he suddenly, on the afternoon of 4 January 1981 declared he was the Ripper and, over the next day, calmly described his many attacks, only weeks later claiming to have been told by God to murder the women. He was charged on 6 January and went to trial in May. The basis of his defence was his claim that he was the tool of God's will. January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 359 days (360 in leap years) remaining. ...

At trial, Sutcliffe pleaded not guilty to thirteen counts of murder, but guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He also pleaded guilty to seven counts of attempted murder. On the basis of four psychiatrists' reports diagnosing paranoid schizophrenia, the prosecution proposed accepting the plea. However, the trial judge, Mr Justice Boreham, demanded an unusually detailed explanation of the prosecution reasoning, and after a two-hour representation by the Attorney-General Sir Michael Havers, a ninety-minute lunch break and a further forty minutes of legal discussion, he rejected the diminished responsibility plea, insisting that the case should be dealt with by a jury. The trial proper was set to commence on 5 May 1981. (An account of the trial is available at The Yorkshire Ripper Web Site.) For the law in other criminal jurisdictions, see diminished responsibility. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis denoting a persistent, often chronic, mental illness variously affecting behavior, thinking, and emotion. ... Her Majestys Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known as the Attorney General, is the chief legal adviser of the Crown in England and Wales. ... Robert Michael Oldfield Havers (March 10, 1923 - April 1, 1992) was known as Sir Michael Havers from being knighted in 1972 until being created Lord Havers in 1987 on his appointment as Lord Chancellor. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

His trial lasted just two weeks; he was found guilty of thirteen counts of murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial judge spoke of his belief that Sutcliffe was beyond redemption and hoped that he would never leave prison, and recommended that a minimum term of 30 years should be served before parole could be even considered. This recommendation meant that Sutcliffe was unlikely to be freed until at least 2011 and the age of 65. 2011 (MMXI) will be a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After his trial, Sutcliffe admitted two further attacks to detectives. It was decided at the time however that prosecution for these offences was "not in the public interest". West Yorkshire Police have made it clear that the female victims wish to remain anonymous. West Yorkshire Police is the police force covering West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. ...

Prison and Broadmoor Hospital

He began his sentence at HMP Parkhurst on 22 May 1981. Despite being found sane at his trial (being found sane in English law is not the same as saying one does not suffer from a serious mental illness), he was soon diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. Attempts to send him to a secure psychiatric unit were initially blocked. During his time at Parkhurst he was seriously assaulted for the first time. The attack was carried out by James Costello, a 35-year-old career criminal from Glasgow with several convictions for violence. On January 10, 1983 he followed Sutcliffe into the recess of F2, the hospital wing at Parkhurst prison. He plunged a broken coffee jar twice into the left side of Sutcliffe's face, creating four separate wounds requiring a total of 30 stitches.^[1] In March 1984 Sutcliffe was finally sent to Broadmoor Hospital, under section 47 of the Mental Health Act 1983. HM Prison Parkhurst is a prison situated in Parkhurst, Isle of Wight. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Glaswegian redirects here. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Broadmoor Hospital is a maximum secure psychiatric hospital in Crowthorne in Berkshire. ... The Mental Health Act 1983 (1983 c. ...

His wife Sonia obtained a separation from him in 1982 and a final divorce in April 1994; she went on to contest and win nine libel cases against various publications, most notably Private Eye.^[2] 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Private eye may mean: Look up Private eye on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Private Eye a fortnightly British satirical magazine-newspaper, edited by Ian Hislop (as of 2005) A private investigator, a private detective for hire (see also crime fiction and detective fiction) Private Eye, a song by Alkaline Trio...

On February 23, 1996 Sutcliffe was attacked in his private room in the Henley Ward of Broadmoor Hospital. Paul Wilson, a convicted robber, asked to borrow a video cassette before attempting to strangle Sutcliffe with the flex from a pair of stereo headphones. Two other murderers, Kenneth Erskine, the Stockwell Strangler, and Jamie Devitt, intervened upon hearing Sutcliffe's screams.^[1] February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Bottom view of VHS videotape cassette with magnetic tape exposed Videotape is a means of recording images and sound onto magnetic tape as opposed to movie film. ... High Fidelity is also the title of a book by Nick Hornby and a film directed by Stephen Frears, based upon Hornbys book. ... // Radio headphones c. ... Kenneth Erskine (born 1962) is an English serial killer who became known as the Stockwell Strangler. ... Stockwell is an inner city area in the London Borough of Lambeth. ...

After an attack by fellow inmate Ian Kay on 10 March 1997 with a pen, Sutcliffe lost vision in his left eye, and his right eye was severely damaged.^[3] Kay admitted attempted murder and was ordered to be detained in a secure mental hospital without time limit. An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand the article to establish its notability, citing reliable sources, so as to avoid it being considered... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (70th in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Despite being given a whole life tariff by successive Home Secretaries, Sutcliffe could still be released from custody if the parole board decides that he is no longer a danger to the public. He was originally sentenced to a minimum of 30 years, so he could be released from prison in 2011 because the system under which his tariff was increased has since been declared illegal by the European Court of Human Rights and also the High Court. The main point of conflict is that the continued detention of Sutcliffe and other life prisoners is currently controlled by a politician — the Home Secretary — rather than by a member of the judiciary. A European Court of Justice hearing which opened in February 2007 is reviewing whether lifelong imprisonment is a violation of human rights, and if lifelong imprisonment is outlawed, then this could also bring Sutcliffe closer to release. The whole life tariff is a mechanism in British law whereby a prisoner is sentenced to remain in prison until death. ... A Parole Board is a panel of people who decide whether a criminal should be allowed to be released from prison following him or her serving the minimum term of their sentence. ... European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), often referred to informally as the Strasbourg Court, was created to systematise the hearing of human rights complaints against States Parties to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by... Her Majestys High Court of Justice (usually known more simply as the High Court) is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales (which under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, is to be known as the... The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... European Court of Justice building, Luxembourg The Court of Justice of the European Communities, usually called the European Court of Justice (ECJ), is the highest court of the European Union (EU). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ...

In 2003 reports surfaced that Sutcliffe had developed diabetes.^[4] 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ...

On 17 January 2005, Sutcliffe was allowed to visit the site of his father's ashes, his father having died from cancer the year before. The decision to allow the temporary release was initiated by David Blunkett and later ratified by Charles Clarke when he took over the role as Home Secretary. Sutcliffe was accompanied by four members of the hospital staff. Despite the passage of twenty-five years since the Ripper murders, Sutcliffe's visit was still the focus of front-page tabloid headlines.^[5] January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... David Blunkett (born 6 June 1947) is a British Labour Party politician and has been Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside since 1987. ... The Rt Hon. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Controversy

West Yorkshire Police were criticised for being inadequately prepared for an investigation on this scale. The case was one of the largest ever investigations by a UK police force and pre-dated the use of computers in criminal cases. The information on suspects was stored on hand-written index cards. Aside from difficulties in storing and accessing such a bulk of paperwork (the floor of the incident room had to be reinforced to cope with the weight of paperwork), it was difficult for officers to overcome the information overload of such a large manual system. Sutcliffe was interviewed nine times, but all information the police had about the case was stored in paper form, making cross referencing a difficult task. This fact was compounded by the television appeal for information, which generated thousands more documents to process. The police were also criticised for being too focused on the Wearside tape and letters, using them as a point of elimination rather than as a line of enquiry, which allowed Sutcliffe to remain at large for longer, as he did not fit the profile of the sender of the tape or letters. The official response to these problems ultimately led to the implementation of the forerunner of HOLMES (the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System) Computer system. In the United Kingdom, HOLMES2, the successor to HOLMES (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System), is an IT system used by the Police to assist with the investigation of serious crimes including murder, fraud and disasters. ...

The Byford Report

On June 1, 2006 the UK Home Office released Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Lawrence Byford's 1981 report of an official inquiry into the Ripper case. Part of the document entitled "Description of suspects, photofits and other assaults" remains censored by the Home Office. Also partly censored was a section on Sutcliffe’s "immediate associates". June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ... In ancient Rome, censorship was the office or function of a censor. ...

Referring to the period between 1969 — when Sutcliffe first came to the attention of police — and 1975, the year of the murder of Wilma McCann, the report states: "There is a curious and unexplained lull in Sutcliffe's criminal activities and there is the possibility that he carried out other attacks on prostitutes and unaccompanied women during that period." In 1969 Sutcliffe, described in the Byford report as an "otherwise unremarkable young man", came to the notice of police on two occasions in connection with incidents involving prostitutes. The report said that it was clear he had on at least one occasion attacked a Bradford prostitute with a cosh. Also in 1969 he was arrested in the red light district of the city in possession of a hammer. However, rather than believing Sutcliffe might use the hammer as an offensive weapon, the arresting officers assumed he was a burglar and he was charged with "going equipped for stealing." For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... A club, cudgel, truncheon, night stick, or bludgeon is among the simplest of all weapons. ... Burglary is a crime related to United States burglary is a felony and involves trespassing, or entering a building with intent to commit any crime, not necessarily a felony or theft. ...

Sir Lawrence's report states: "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. 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. 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." Police identified a number of attacks which matched Sutcliffe's modus operandi and tried to question the killer, but he was never charged with other crimes.

The Byford report’s major findings were contained in a summary published by the then home secretary, William Whitelaw, but this is the first time precise details of the bungled police investigation have been disclosed. Sir Lawrence described delays in following up vital tip-offs from Trevor Birdsall, an associate of Sutcliffe’s since 1966. On November 25, 1980, Birdsall sent an anonymous letter to police, the text of which ran as follows: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office and is responsible for internal affairs in England and Wales, and for immigration and citizenship for the whole United Kingdom (including Scotland and Northern Ireland). ... William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, KT, CH, MC, PC, DL (June 28, 1918 - July 1, 1999), commonly known as Willie Whitelaw, was a British Conservative politician. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

This letter was marked "Priority No 1". An index card was created on the basis of the letter and a policewoman found Sutcliffe already had three existing index cards in the records. 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 January 2 the following year. January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Birdsall visited Bradford police station the day after sending the letter to repeat his misgivings about Sutcliffe; he added the information that he had been with Sutcliffe when Sutcliffe got out of a car to pursue a woman with whom he had had a bar room dispute in Halifax on August 16, 1975. This was the date and place of the Olive Smelt attack. A report compiled on this visit was lost, despite a "comprehensive search" which took place after Sutcliffe’s arrest, according to the report. Sir Lawrence said: "The failure to take advantage of Birdsall’s anonymous letter and his visit to the police station was yet again a stark illustration of the progressive decline in the overall efficiency of the major incident room. It resulted in Sutcliffe being at liberty for more than a month when he might conceivably have been in custody. Thankfully, there is no reason to think he committed any further murderous assaults within that period." August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

In popular culture

• Sutcliffe is seen in the final chapter of From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, and is depicted as having been inspired by the spirit of Jack The Ripper (who in the book is William Gull).
• The Red-Riding Quartet by David Peace was published to critical acclaim between 1999 and 2002. Set against the backdrop of the Ripper murders across Yorkshire, the novels depict the seedy underbelly of both the police force and journalism.
• Sutcliffe was also depicted in Channel 4 parodic TV programme Brass Eye (in the episode entitled Decline) as being allowed out of prison to write and star in a musical about his life entitled Sutcliffe! The Musical, in which he declares "I really am so very truly sorry", although this was censored from the programme's initial transmission.
• He also gains a mention in the song Archives of Pain, by Manic Street Preachers.
• The Siouxsie and the Banshees song, Night Shift, from their 1981 LP Juju, is based on Sutcliffe's crimes, as is Leeds United from Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop, a 2006 album by Luke Haines.
• We Be the Echo from San Francisco are named after one of the phrases Sutcliffe claimed to have heard coming from a gravestone in Bingley cemetery.^[6]

The cover of the From Hell collected edition. ... Alan Moore (born November 18, 1953, in Northampton) is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. ... Alec: The King Canute Crowd by Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born August 10, 1955) is a Scottish-born comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. ... Dr. William Withey Gull Sir William Withey Gull, 1st Baronet (December 31, 1816 – January 29, 1890) was an English physician. ... David Peace is a British author born in Ossett, West Yorkshire in 1967. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Parody of Back to the Future In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Brass Eye is a UK television series of satirical spoof documentaries which aired on Channel 4 in 1997 and was re-run in 2001. ... It has been suggested that Jenny Watkins-Isnardi be merged into this article or section. ... Siouxsie and the Banshees are a British gothic rock band. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1981 Record labels established in 1981 other events of 1981 list of years in music 1980s in music // January 10 - Revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadways Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith February... Long Playing (LP), either 10 or 12-inch diameter, 33 rpm (actually 33⅓) vinyl gramophone records, first introduced in 1948, were the primary release format for recorded music for about 30 years, from the late 1950s until CDs effectively replaced them in the late 1980s. ... After the electronic bent of their last album, Siouxsie & the Banshees returned to a more guitar-based sound for their fourth album Juju. ... Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop is a 2006 album by Luke Haines. ... See also: 2006 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2006 Record labels established in 2006 2000s in music. ... Luke Haines, performing at the 2005 Summer Sundae Luke Haines (born October 7, 1967) is an English musician, who has released music under a variety of names, notably The Auteurs and Black Box Recorder. ... We Be The Echo are an American instrumental rock band from San Francisco. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Further reading

• Nineteen Seventy Four by David Peace
• Nineteen Seventy Seven by David Peace
• Nineteen Eighty by David Peace
• Nineteen Eighty Three by David Peace
• Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper by Michael Bilton

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Attacks on Peter Sutcliffe, Keith Brannen's The Yorkshire Ripper website
2. ^ On this day: 24 May — 1989: Yorkshire Ripper's wife wins damages, BBC
3. ^ Crime Case Closed: Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, BBC
4. ^ Ripper Sutcliffe has diabetes, Craven Herald and Pioneer, August 30, 2003
5. ^ Ripper visits father's ashes site, BBC News Online, retrieved on 20 January 2005
6. ^ The trial: week two, Keith Brannen's The Yorkshire Ripper website

The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (243rd in leap years), with 123 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News Online logo The BBC News Website in February 2006. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The Yorkshire Ripper website
• BBC Crime Case Closed — The Yorkshire Ripper
• Suggestion that Sutcliffe had other victims
• Google Earth/Maps overlay showing significant locations in the Ripper case