ROT IN HELL
As Sutcliffe dies a broken-down wreck, an outpouring of relief from victims’ families – and compassion he could never comprehend
THE death of the Yorkshire Ripper last night unleashed a wave of relief and anger from families of victims.
Peter Sutcliffe, 74, died in hospital during the early hours after refusing treatment for Covid-19.
The luck of a man who ran rings around police during a five-year reign of terror finally ran out on Friday the 13th. He earnt his nickname from mutilating victims’ bodies with hammers, screwdrivers and knives.
Tracy Browne, who survived a hammer attack by Sutcliffe when she was aged 14, said his death had lifted a ‘black cloud’.
She added: ‘He is six feet under and I just think today is a good day. Everybody was living in fear including myself. It was a horrible, traumatic time.’
Sutcliffe was given 20 life sentences in 1981 for murdering 13 women and trying to kill seven more. He is believed to have committed more crimes that were not brought to court. He had boasted in letters from his jail cell only a few months ago that being behind bars was ‘much safer’ during the pandemic. Following his death:
■ West Yorkshire’s Chief Constable issued a ‘heartfelt apology’ for officers not treating the sex workers killed by Sutcliffe as innocent;
■ It emerged that in his final months Sutcliffe was a pathetic wreck who was so blind he was led by the hand in prison and wore a colostomy bag;
■ Downing Street described him as ‘depraved and evil’;
■ A wrangle over his funeral appeared likely with his brother Mick claiming to be next of kin over ex-wife Sonia – but having no money to pay for a ceremony.
There was an extraordinary response to Sutcliffe’s death from Richard McCann, the son of his first murder victim, Scots-born Wilma McCann. As soon as the news broke he phoned Sutcliffe’s brother Carl, who had previously reached out to him with compassion, to offer his condolences.
‘I know he obviously did some horrendous things but he was still his brother so I felt like I wanted to call him,’ said Mr McCann.
He told Times Radio that over the years since his mother’s murder he had ‘let go of the anger’.
Mr McCann said he plotted revenge for years against the man who ruined his childhood but found ‘forgiveness’ ten years ago from a meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. This was ‘why I’m not celebrating today’, he said. Sutcliffe’s health had deteriorated since his capture in 1981.
He has spent most of that time in the relative comfort of Broadmoor Hospital but was transferred back to prison in 2016 after psychiatrists found him to be sane.
As well as his age he had many of the underlying health problems that made him susceptible to coronavirus: he was overweight, a diabetic and had heart trouble.
After five nights at the University Hospital of North Durham earlier this month he was returned to HM Prison Frankland in County Durham only to test positive and be taken back to hospital again.
Refusing all treatment and with a ‘do not resuscitate’ order against his name there was little anyone could do to save him once Covid-19 took hold. His daily phone calls to brother Mick stopped about three weeks ago.
His brothers and his ex-wife Sonia, who has remarried, were refusing to comment last night.
But Neil Jackson, the son of second victim Emily Jackson, said his death was ‘a big relief ’, adding: ‘It has saved the country a hell of a lot of money. I certainly hate him, he should have been hanged when it happened.’
The 62-year-old said his hatred of Sutcliffe had deepened over the years: ‘When it first happened there was no victim support, no criminal injuries compensation, nothing. I had to get by on my own.’
The builder said Sutcliffe had been in prison in conditions ‘like Butlin’s holiday camp’ and he would ‘have a few drinks on him tonight’.
Geoff Beattie, 51, the son of his third victim Irene Richardson, was adopted as a baby and found out what happened to his mother only when he was 35.
He said: ‘I had a hatred for him. I thought “that b*****d had contact with my mum, which was more than I ever had”. Whenever you see him pop up on the news, it brings it all up again and it is painful. Hopefully his death puts an end to that and we can put that chapter to rest.’
Marcella Claxton survived being hit over the head with a hammer by Sutcliffe aged 20. She was four months pregnant at the time, needed 54 stitches and lost her baby.
She said she was ‘happy he’s gone’, adding: ‘I’ve thought about what he did to me every day since and although the news that he’s died brings those horrible memories back at least now I may be able to get some closure. I’m hoping it will bring me a little peace knowing he’s no longer with us.’
She said she still had headaches, dizzy spells and blackouts. Julie Lowry, 60, whose mother, Olive Smelt, survived a brutal attack by Sutcliffe at the age of 46 and died in 2011, said she felt ‘relief ’ but was once again haunted by memories.
She added: ‘We have spent our lives hating the Yorkshire Ripper and having so much anger for what he has taken away, I hope now we can find some peace.’
Sutcliffe’s death has also had a profound impact on retired and current police officers. Brian Booth, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, said he felt ‘ good riddance’ after hearing the news.
‘The monster who murdered so many innocent women in and around West Yorkshire should rot in hell,’ he added. ‘He is the very reason most people step to the plate and become police officers – to protect our communities from people like him.’
A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister’s thoughts are with those who lost their lives, the survivors and with the families and friends of Sutcliffe’s victims.
‘Peter Sutcliffe was a depraved and evil individual, whose crimes caused unimaginable suffering and appalled this country. It is right that he died behind bars for his barbaric murders and attempted murders.’
‘Everybody was living in fear’ ‘I hope now we can find some peace’