I was working and living in Leeds at the time and remember vividly the fear of this man who seemed to strike randomly. Also the utter failure of the police to catch him.
Two things
- The police investigation was scandalously inept and resulted in the deaths of more women than would otherwise have been the case. They interviewed Sutcliffe eight or nine times. They had an accurate photofit from one of the first victims and a description of his accent but chose to believe the fake tape. Their attitude to the victims was judgemental.
- Judging by the previous posts I will be flamed for this, but I never thought Sutcliffe got proper justice.
He was a paranoid schizophrenic and this was diagnosed before his trial, but because of the strength of the public feeling and the 'lynch mob mentality' this could not be publicly acknowledged (Cannot tell you how I know this as it would be outing). It was, however, privately accepted and the psychiatrists who had given evidence for his mental illness ware asked, after the verdict (the jury found him sane) what they would recommend for his treatment.
The verdict of sanity led to him being incarcerated in prison and regarded as simply an evil person. He was, however, immediately transferred to the hospital wing to begin treatment.
Much later he was transferred to Broadmoor. He was attacked by other inmates several times in Broadmoor, being maimed and half blinded, so I can only assume he was not sufficiently protected.
Paranoid schizophrenics are very dangerous people and he was a sick, sick man, not intrinsically evil, but the baying mob and the inadequate police and justice system would not allow recognition of this fact.
This does not detract from the suffering of his victims or their families but I would say that the failings of the police and the judicial system have made everyone losers in this case.