True Crime Friday: Peter Sutcliffe, The Yorkshire Ripper Serial Killer

Peter Sutcliffe, better known as the Yorkshire Ripper, terrorized northern England from 1975 through 1980. He killed at least thirteen women and attacked many others. He is suspected in many more killing by authorities.

Police spent an estimated 2.5 million hours pursuing Sutcliffe. The police bungled this case and it is still one of the most embarrassing case for police in Great Britain history. They interview Sutcliffe nine times! He looked like the photo fits of the serial killer and yet he was never seriously looked into by the police. He had a Yorkshire accent and yet police looked right through him. In fact, the police were not interested in the murders until Sutcliffe began to murder “innocent girls” yes they actually said this during a press briefing.

He did not fit the narrative of a killer. He was married with a good job and a nice home no way this guy could be a killer.

Even to this day, this case is one of the most discussed cases in Great Britain because the authorities were unwilling to listen to the victims of the crime. In fact, the murders of the sex workers were put on the back burner until the ripper started to kill innocent girls. The police then had the audacity to advice women not to go out at night. Women began to demonstrate in the street because they felt the police were blaming them for the sins of men. To make matters worse a hoax misdirected police to the wrong suspect.

The Early Childhood of Peter Sutcliffe

Peter William Sutcliffe came into the world on June 2, 1946. His parents were John and Kathleen Sutcliffe. Peter grew up with five younger siblings, two brothers and three sisters, in a working-class Catholic family. It was stated that Peter and his siblings were physically abused by his father. Also his mother was a victim of this abuse. While working his first job as a grave digger Sutcliffe said a dead Polish man told him to kill sex workers to cleanse the world. In 1976, Sutcliffe found a job as a truck driver. He became a trusted employee and remained in the position during his killing spree.

The Hoax of Wearside Jack

John Humble was able to mislead the police by sending a recording to the police claiming to be the Yorkshire Ripper. The victims clearly stated that the killer had a Yorkshire accent but they were ignored because they were women. John Humble had a Sutherland accent which is distinguishable from a Yorkshire accent. Because the police was pursuing Wearside Jack, Sutcliffe was able to kill three more women before being caught. After the public found out that Wearside Jack was a hoax, Humble had to be given a new identity because of death threats. He died in 2019. George Oldfield, the lead detective of the investigation failed on so many levels. The authorities even asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for assistance and was told that Wearside Jack was not the killer because the killer was an introvert not an extrovert. But Oldfield was determined that the man without the Yorkshire accent was their killer. Some people with the Yorkshire investigation claim that Oldfield died an early death because of the stress of this case.

The Victims of Peter Sutcliffe

• Wilma McCann, 28
• Emily Jackson, 42
• Irene Richardson, 28
• Patricia Atkinson, 32
• Jayne McDonald, 16
• Jean Jordan, 21
• Yvonne Pearson, 22
• Helen Rytka, 18
• Vera Millward, 41
• Josephine Whittaker, 19
• Barbara Leach, 20
• Jacqueline Hill, 20

The Survivors of Peter Sutcliffe

• Mo Lea
• Unknown Victim-Hit with a rock
• Anna Rogulskyj
• Olive Smelt
• Tracy Browne
• Maureen Long
• Marilyn Moore
• Theresa Sykes
• Marcella Claxton
• Dr. Upadhya Bandara

Lady Justice

Sutcliffe was caught by a new police officer who stopped Sutcliffe's because he had a stolen license plate on the car he was driving. Sutcliffe was with a potential victim when he was caught. Sutcliffe was sent to a mental institution where he was attacked on several occasions by other inmates. His eyes were gouged out with a pen, he was choked with headphones wires and hit in the face with a broken cup. He was sent to prison and died November 13, 2020 of diabetes and Covid19.

Reference

Peter Sutcliffe: Biography, Serial Killer, Yorkshire Ripper

Peter Sutcliffe | Victims | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe dies (bbc.com)

The 13 victims of Peter Sutcliffe: remembering who they were (yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk)

***

Like what you're reading? Never miss another post! Get notified via email here.

Want to save democracy? Donate below! All donations go to Kamala.