Peter Sutcliffe served 20 life sentences in prison in England for the murder of 13 women in the Yorkshire area in the 1970s. He was recently admitted to hospital after being infected with the coronavirus. The 74-year-old asked not to receive treatment and died at the hospital.
A relief for the families
The son of Sutcliffe’s first victim, 28-year-old Wilma McCann, says it is a relief that her mother’s killer is now dead. McCann was five years old when his mother was attacked and stabbed in the street in October 1975.
– Now life can finally go on, says Richard McCann BBC.
McCann says that in 2010 he chose to let go of the rage he felt and has forgiven Sutcliffe for his own part.
(The case continues below the picture)
Here, 35-year-old Peter Sutcliffe is ushered into the courtroom in 1981. Photo: AP / NTB
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“A Call from God”
In 1981, Sutcliffe was arrested and later convicted of the murder of McCann and 12 other women. He was also convicted of assault and attempted murder of seven other women.
Policeman Bob Bridgestock spent several years hunting for “The Yorkshire Ripper”, and feels relieved now that the serial killer is dead.
“I’m not going to shed a tear, that’s for sure,” Bridgestock told the BBC.
The truck driver explained in court that he received a call from God and was asked to “kill prostitutes”. Sutcliffe was one of 11,000 interrogated during the 1970s, but he managed to escape arrest several times. At the same time, the killings continued.
– I’m The Yorkshire Ripper
It was in January 1981 that Sutcliffe’s car was stopped by police. He had a fake license plate, and with him in the car sat a young woman. A screwdriver, a knife and a hammer were found in the car, which were to turn out to be the murder weapons, writes The Guardian. Sutcliffe was arrested and confessed to the killings.
– I know what you have come up with. I’m The Yorkshire Ripper, and I killed all the women, Sutcliffe said in questioning by police.
Sutcliffe spent 39 years in prison before recently dying from covid-19.
Watch video: Dedicated to the life of the hunt for a serial killer – never saw him caught:
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