Yorkshire Ripper
Contents
The Yorkshire Ripper
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Overview
Peter Sutcliffe was born at Shipley, West Yorkshire, on 2nd June 1946.
During the period in which his admitted crimes were committed he was employed as a tyre fitter, and subsequently, following qualification as a heavy goods vehicle driver, as a lorry driver for the Bradford engineering and transport company, T. & W.H. Clark (Holdings) Ltd.
On the 10th April 1974 he married Sonia Szurma.
Initially Sutcliffe lived in Clayton with Sonia's parents. From September 1977, they moved to a detached house which he bought in the Heaton district of Bradford.
Sonia Sutcliffe
Victims of the Yorkshire Ripper
Anna Rogulskyj
Anna Rogulskyj was attacked by the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, in Keighley on the 5th July 1975. Sutcliffe attacked his victim with a hammer in an alleyway in Keighley and left her lying on the ground suffering from very severe head injuries. Sutcliffe also inflicted a number of superficial slash wounds to the body. The crime was investigated by Detective Superintendent Perry of West Yorkshire’s Western Crime Area and an incident room was established in the Keighley Division for the purpose of the inquiry. The crime was not linked with any others, neither was it linked with the Ripper series until June 1978 when the West Yorkshire Police issued a “Special Notice” to all police forces about the murders which had, by then, been committed.
Olive Smelt
On the 15th August 1975, just over a month after the Rogulskyj incident, Sutcliffe, after leaving his friend Trevor Birdsall in his car, attacked Olive Smelt with a hammer in Boothtown, Halifax. Sutcliffe inflicted serious head injuries. Using a knife he also inflicted two slash wounds to her back after first disarranging her clothing. Although the nature of the crime was very similar to the attempted murder of Anna Rogulskyj it was not specifically linked with it in police crime circulations, neither was it linked with the Ripper series until June 1978.
Read more about Olive Smelt here
Wilma McCann
On 30th October 1975 Peter Sutcliffe committed his first known murder. Sutcliffe murdered Wilma McCann, a known prostitute, on the Prince Philip playing fields in Leeds.
In a pattern which was to become all too familiar, Peter Sutcliffe hit Wilma McCann on the head with a hammer. At least one of the blows penetrated the full thickness of the skull.
On this occasion, however, unlike the tentative slashings of the bodies of Anna Rogulskyj and Olive Smelt, Wilma McCann was stabbed once in the neck and 14 times in the chest and abdomen.
Read more about Wilma McCann here
Emily Jackson
The Yorkshire ripper struck again on 20th January 1976 with the brutal murder of Emily Jackson, a known prostitute. Peter Sutcliffe brutally murdered Emily in a factory yard in Leeds.
Once again Sutcliffe had used a hammer to inflict violent blows to Emily. Sutcliffe disarranged her clothing to expose her torso and inflicted multiple stab wounds to her lower neck, upper chest and lower abdomen. Sutcliffe also inflicted wounds to Emily's back using a cross shaped instrument thought to be a “Philips” screwdriver.
Read more about Emily Jackson here
Marcella Claxton
On the 9th May 1976 Peter Sutcliffe attacked Marcella Claxton in the Roundhay area of Leeds.
Marcella Claxton sustained severe head injuries as a result of hammer blows.
Read more about Marcella Claxton here
Irene Richardson
Irene Richardson, who was believed to be an active prostitute, was murdered on a playing field in Roundhay, Leeds, by Peter Sutcliffe on the 5th February 1977.
She had been struck down by three hammer blows after which her body had been exposed and slashed with a knife. The slash injuries to her abdomen were particularly severe. One apparently coincidental similarity between this crime and the murder of Joan Harrison in Preston was the way in which the dead woman’s boots had been neatly placed over her thighs.
Read more about Irene Richardson here
Patricia Atkinson
Prostitute Patricia Atkinson operated from a flat in Bradford. It was at this flat on the 23rd April 1977 that Peter Sutcliffe murdered her. Patricia was killed by four blows to her head with a hammer after which her body was exposed and stabbed repeatedly with a knife or chisel
Detective Chief Superintendent Domaille of the Western Crime Area led the investigation into the crime and established an incident room at the area headquarters at Bradford.
Read more about Patricia Atkinson here
Jayne MacDonald
Jayne MacDonald was a 16 year old shop assistant who still lived with her family in Leeds. On the 26th June 1977 the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, killed Jayne MacDonald on spare ground in a prostitute area of Leeds. The attack fitted Sutcliffe's usual pattern.
Read more about Jayne MacDonald here
Maureen Long
On the l0th July 1977, Peter Sutcliffe attacked Maureen Long on spare ground a short distance from her estranged husband’s home in Bradford. Maureen, who admitted that she had acted as a prostitute, received serious injuries to her head from hammer blows and stab wounds to her abdomen and back, but fortunately recovered.
Read more about Maureen Long here
Jean Jordan
Jean Jordan was murdered in the Greater Manchester Police area on the 1st October 1977. Jean Jordan was a known prostitute. Her body was found on a disused allotment in Chorlton-cum-Hardy on the 10th October, nine days after her death.
Read more about Jean Jordan here
Marilyn Moore
On the 14th December 1977 Peter Sutcliffe viciously attacked Marilyn Moore who was a convicted prostitute. Marilyn was assaulted by Peter Sutcliffe on spare ground in Scott Hall Street, Leeds. The inquiry established that Moore was picked up for prostitution purposes by the driver of a car which, by a process of elimination, was subsequently thought to be of the BMC "Farina" type, driven by a man who said he was called "Dave".
Read more about Marilyn Moore here
Yvonne Pearson
On the 21st January 1978 Yvonne Pearson, a convicted prostitute, was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe in Bradford. Her body was not discovered until the 26th March 1978 when it was found under an overturned settee on wasteland in an area used by prostitutes.
Read more about Yvonne Pearson here
Helen Rytka
On the 31st January 1978, Helen Rytka, an active prostitute, was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe in Huddersfield. Helen's body was discovered in a timber yard by a police search on the 3rd February and the subsequent post-mortem examination revealed that she had died from hammer blows to the head together with a number of stab wounds to the body which had previously been exposed.
Read more about Helen Rytka here
Vera Millward
On the 16th May 1978, Vera Millward, a convicted prostitute, was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe in Manchester. Her body was discovered in a compound in the Brunswick area of the city the following day and an examination disclosed the traditional pattern of Ripper injuries.
Police
Detective Superintendent Perry
Detective Superintendent Perry was assigned to investigate the brutal attack of Anna Rogulskyj
Detective Superintendent Holland
Detective Superintendent Holland established an incident room at Halifax in order to investigate the brutal attack of Olive Smelt on the 15th August 1975,
Detective Chief Superintendent Hoban
Detective Chief Superintendent Hoban, of West Yorkshire’s Eastern Crime Area, was assigned to investigate the brutal murder of Wilma McCann.
Detective Chief Superintendent Domaille
Detective Chief Superintendent Domaille of the Western Crime Area led the investigation into the brutal murder of Patricia Atkinson.
Assistant Chief Constable Oldfield
Assistant Chief Constable Oldfield took over personal direction of the inquiry after the brutal murder of Jayne MacDonald (16) and set up an incident room at Millgarth Police Station in Leeds.
Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Mr. Gregory
11th July 1977 - The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Mr. Gregory, wrote to the Director of the Police Scientific Development Branch asking whether the Branch was able to offer any assistance in connection with the Yorkshire Ripper inquiry. Read More
Detective Chief Superintendent Hobson
The attack on Marilyn Moore was investigated by Detective Chief Superintendent Hobson from the Eastern Crime area but it was not linked with the series crimes until the 12th May 1978 when it was circulated to other forces in a West Yorkshire Police circulation.
Detective Constable Howard
On the 2nd November 1977, as part of the Jean Jordan £5 Bank of England note investigation, Detective Constable Howard of the Greater Manchester Police together with a Detective Constable of the West Yorkshire Police interviewed Peter William Sutcliffe at his home. Sutcliffe’s employers had collected money from the Shipley branch of the Midland Bank to pay their employees.
Detective Chief Superintendent Ridgway
Chief Superintendent Ridgway of the Greater Manchester Police took charge of the Jean Jordan murder investigation and recognised immediately the possibility of a link with the crimes in West Yorkshire.
On the 16th May 1978, Vera Millward, a convicted prostitute, was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe in Manchester. This crime immediately came under the control of Detective Chief Superintendent Ridgway
Detective Constable Rayne
On 8th November 1977, as part of the Jean Jordan and £5 Bank of England note investigation, Peter Sutcliffe was re-interviewed by Detective Constable Leslie Smith of West Yorkshire and Detective Constable Rayne of the Greater Manchester Police.
Detective Constable Leslie Smith
On 8th November 1977, as part of the Jean Jordan and £5 Bank of England note investigation, Peter Sutcliffe was re-interviewed by Detective Constable Leslie Smith of West Yorkshire and Detective Constable Rayne of the Greater Manchester Police.
Detective Chief Superintendent Lapish
On the 21st January 1978 Yvonne Pearson, a convicted prostitute, was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe in Bradford. Her body was not discovered until the 26th March 1978 when it was found under an overturned settee on wasteland in an area used by prostitutes.
Police Stations
Sir Lawrence Byford
Sir Lawrence Byford report into the police handling of the Yorkshire Ripper case.
Persons of Interest
Trevor Birdsall
Trevor Birdsall was a friend of Peter Sutcliffe and was left in a car in Boothtown, Halifax, when Sutcliffe left in order to carry out a brutal attack on Olive Smelt.
Cars known to be owned by Peter Sutcliffe
Ford Capri - EUA 831K
EUA 831K - At the time of his marriage to Sonia Szurma Peter Sutcliffe owned a lime green Ford Capri with the registered number EUA 831K.
At the end of April / beginning of May 1976 Peter Sutcliffe disposed of his Ford Capri.
Ford Corsair - KWT 721D
KWT 721D - During May 1976 Sutcliffe acquired a white Ford Corsair saloon registered number KWT 721D.
Records show that Peter Sutcliffe sold his white Ford Corsair, KWT 721D, on 3rd September 1977. It was established by police that although he had sold the car he kept possession of it for several weeks.
Ford Corsair - PHE 355G
On the 26th September 1977 he bought a red Corsair with the registered number PHE 355G.
Inquiries
The 'Tracking Inquiry'
On the 6th February 1977 an exercise, known subsequently as the “Tracking Inquiry” was mounted to identify the vehicle which had left the tyre marks at the Irene Richardson murder scene. In the preliminary stage it was thought that any one of 100 different types of vehicle could have been involved. This number was determined on the basis of the "track width" indicated by the distance between the tyre marks at the scene. Read More
The hunt for the White Mark II Ford Cortina
As the 'Tracking Inquiry', which was started in connection with the Irene Richardson murder, was discontinued the hunt for a white Mark II ford Cortina began. Read More
Computerisation
Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell and the Yorkshire Ripper Investigation
On 11th July 1977 the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Mr. Gregory, wrote to the Director of the Police Scientific Development Branch asking whether the Branch was able to offer any assistance in connection with the Yorkshire Ripper inquiry. Read More
Rewards
March 1978 - West Yorkshire Police Authority
West Yorkshire Police Authority offered a reward of £10,000.