The Yorkshire Ripper Has Died

[SunsetBeetch]

Good fucking riddance
"The serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper has died.

Peter Sutcliffe, 74, was one of the UK's most notorious prisoners, having murdered at least 13 women across the north of England in the late 1970s."

...

"It is understood Sutcliffe had refused treatment after contracting coronavirus at HMP Frankland in County Durham."
news.sky.com/story/yorkshire-ripper-serial-killer-peter-sutcliffe-has-died-sky-news-understands-12131042?utm_source=upday&utm_medium=referral

[ScreamingBeans]

I was fifteen when he was arrested. I've only just started wondering if that fear of walking alone on the streets was because of PS or whether it was there before.

They shouldn't look into his background to try and find an answer to why he killed women. What they should do, is look into how men who hate women and want to kill us are produced and what we as a society can and should do to stop producing these fuckers.

I am sick and tired of media reports of various woman-killers talking about their childhood, problematic relationship with their mother/ ex girlfriend/ wife etc. and studiously ignoring the misogyny that is part and parcel of our society.

[Muststopfaffing]

Sutcliffe had been arrested by the time I was born in the mid 1980s so I have no memories of what that time was like and have only just become aware of the affect it had on women all over the country. Julie Bindel has an excellent BBC article on this (I think from 2015) that I read this morning.
The Spectator also has an excellent article on the legacy of Sutcliffe and the men like him. The way misogyny allows the horrific details of these crimes to be reported so salaciously; to diminish the women who were raped, murdered and defiled to props in the sadistic actions of men. They also suggest that the failure of wider society to take action on hardcore violent pornography and the “sex game gone wrong” defence allows men like Sutcliffe in the 21st century to continue to abuse women in plain site.

[Flaxmeadow]

Ignoring victims of crime is not 'a mistake'.

Which crimes were ignored or not investigated? It took time for the police to link the crimes. Especially in an area where violent crime was common place

WY was/is a high crime area. PS was not the only man murdering, maiming or attacking women in the area at the time

I'm quite aware of West Yorkshire, it's where I spent the first years of my life and where I have visited relatives frequently.

My comments on the area are more for the benefit of everyone.

I watched documentary a few years ago, maybe 5 years ago, the senior officers being interviewed were still talking about 'innocent' victims.

The Ripper Files?
The programme I thought was balanced and yes it did show one former police officer, or was it a prosecutor, who made a poor remark but it also showed a number former police officers who had worked on the investigation who didn't and had worked hard on the case and who did sympathise with all the victims. It also showed former female detectives who had too.

Oh and they were offered the use of a computer.

Did they take up the offer? But how much use a computer of the time would have been is anyones guess. The paper data that would have had to be put into the system, a computer system with every limited primtive capacity, would have been vast, and very time consuming

[Cuddlecouch]

I'm Yorkshire born and was in the area at the time. I remember the absolute fear my mum and aunties had. Incidentally in a previous role I worked at broadmoor and another high security prison. If the general public ever knew the full extent of how prisoners in high security are treated there'd be a scandal. It is a life of luxury, of being waited on hand and foot, day trips to scenic places, lovely food on demand, access to immediate healthcare - no waiting lists, all mod cons, all demands met and believe me the demands of these vile men never stopped. It was so shocking and disgusting that I left the career as I couldn't face pandering to the whims of men who had rallied and murdered women and children. I don't believe all of them were schizophrenic, it was often suggested in medical circles that PS was not but played up on it so he'd be in high security rather than a real prison. Hope he suffered.

[HeronLanyon]

Friend of mine who was a student at Leeds at the time phoned in tears of strange relief and sorrow at the news. Sorrow for the victims and families and that although much has changed women still deal with Male violence and cjs discrimination. The fight continues. Support all.

[sashh]

@Flaxmeadow

Ignoring victims of crime is not 'a mistake'.

I'm quite aware of West Yorkshire, it's where I spent the first years of my life and where I have visited relatives frequently.

I watched documentary a few years ago, maybe 5 years ago, the senior officers being interviewed were still talking about 'innocent' victims.

Oh and they were offered the use of a computer.

[MrsFogi]

Women's Hour had excellent coverage of this today: Women's Hour

[Deliriumoftheendless]

To the women gone and their families today.

They’re the important ones.

[PoorMansPaulaRadcliffe]

Wilma McCann's children, seven and five, waited at the bus stop for her. I shall never forget that.
Don't be too quick to let the police off the hook. Sutcliffe was interviewed more than once. It was for sure harder then, not being computerized, but a significant number of policemen didn't really give a fuck about a few 'good time' girls.
Similarly, Stefan Kiszko languished in prison for over fifteen years for a crime he literally could not have committed, because the police and forensics roundly failed to do their fucking jobs. Lesley Molseed's sister went to his funeral; no-one from the police or forensics team did. Too ashamed to show their useless faces, no doubt.

[ErrolTheDragon]

I thought the coverage on R4 news just now was quite good re the massive faults including rampant misogyny, racism and victim blaming of the police.

[Rubidium]

This was an excellent documentary about the Ripper murders, sadly it’s not on iPlayer any more but there are still some clips available:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003v61

I was a young kid in West Yorkshire at the time. I began to be aware of what was happening when West Yorkshire Police had their big PR campaign centred around the Wearside Jack tapes. They put a newspaper-sized leaflet through every front door and I remember spreading it out on our kitchen table and reading about each murder that had been committed. There were posters in the library, on the buses and in the swimming pool, asking of you recognised Wearside Jack’s handwriting.

I was too young back then to really understand the impact the murders were having, and as a kid my horizons were pretty narrow as I just went where my parents took me. It was only later on, when I was older and had a better knowledge of the area where I lived that I realised just how close to home it all was. About twenty years ago I saw a documentary where they revisited some of the unsolved murders and attacks on women that were committed in the area during the time that Peter Sutcliffe was active. He was never charged with any of these crimes and he never confessed, but it was plausible that he was responsible. I know well many of the locations where these attacks happened, and even though by the time this programme was shown Sutcliffe was firmly incarcerated and I was living many miles away, my blood ran cold watching it.

So yes, my thoughts are with the friends and families of those he killed and also with those who survived his attacks, who I imagine must be finding today particularly difficult. I hope Sutcliffe’s passing brings them peace.

[Siameasy]

The book “Wicked Beyond Belief” is really good and there’s a real sense of desolation about the lives of some of these women who ended up working as prostitutes. And for those of us who were too young to remember (I was born mid-70s), people like him terrified our mums and because of him and his ilk, women are told things like “at night, walk facing traffic” “hold your keys in a spike fashion between your fingers” “carry a can of hairspray”....boys are never taught these things

[SunsetBeetch]

In a previous job, I sometimes had contact with a lady who had survived his attack on her. She was left with brain damage. My heart ached for her. Fucking bastard.

[MrsSpringfield]

My thoughts are with his victims and their families. Remembering all those he had inflicted pain upon.

And thankful he has left this world, not a moment too soon.

[Flaxmeadow]

It was a huge and important feminist perspective to me. Why should women be the ones under curfew, when the ripper is man!!!!

Simple logic you'd think now, but at the time, as a young working class northern woman 40 years ago, it blew my mind. I will never forget it

[Floisme]

I remember the call for a curfew on men too although I hadn't realised Julie Bindel was involved. I also still remember the reaction of so many 'decent' (or so I had believed) men to the proposal. Their outrage at the idea that they should suffer any inconvenience taught me a lesson I have never forgotten

[BoreOfWhabylon]

Yes, she spoke about this on the programme I linked.

[Flaxmeadow]

Including Julie Bindel, who was a student in Leeds and was followed and approached by a man who looked like Sutcliffe, but was not taken seriously by police

Yes. I also remember the "curfew". Women protested at the time, and I think JB was involved in this, rightly pointing out that why should women in West Yorkshire be under curfew when the ripper was a man. So why not put men under curfew instead?

[Flaxmeadow]

By ignoring the women who survived who said he had a Yorkshire accent?

By telling other women it wasn't the ripper because they were not prostitutes?

There may have been female officers working on the case but most were typing, making tea or collating index cards.

I'm not sure when women were allowed to become detectives but I doubt there were any on the ripper team

Yes some serious mistakes were made. Especially Oldfields inflexible stubborn pursuit of someone with a North East accent, but the areas where PS committed his crimes, mostly West Yorkshire, were densely highly populated high crime areas. Infact West Yorkshire still has the highest rates of serious crime in the country.

The police already had to deal with many other murders, and that included the murder of prostitutes, serious assaults, and DV. It isn't some rural countryside county, WY is a metropolitan county, with millions of people. All this unfortunately contributed to it being easier for PS to get away with his crimes for so long. He was using road networks that are some of the busiest in Europe. He was also just one of many men in WY associating with prostitution. One of the surprises at the time, and I do remember it being reported on, because I lived there, was just how many were found to be involved in prostitution during the investigation

The officers doing the indexing were both male and female and it was an important part of any investigation at a time, a time before computerised systems, and yes some CID were women

[jhuizinga]

Wilma McCann's son was interviewed on Times Radio this morning. He said that he hates the Ripper nickname which refers to the way his mother was killed and wishes journalists etc would just call Sutcliffe by his name.

[BoreOfWhabylon]

Really good programme on Radio 5 Live this morning with lots of guests/callers who were there at the time. Including Julie Bindel, who was a student in Leeds and was followed and approached by a man who looked like Sutcliffe, but was not taken seriously by police. Police guests talked of how the investigation was hampered/derailed by the Senior WYP belief in the Wearside Jack hoax

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p97q

[sashh]

Slightly unfair. Not all police were. Some worked extremely hard and were dedicated to catching him

By ignoring the women who survived who said he had a Yorkshire accent?

By telling other women it wasn't the ripper because they were not prostitutes?

There may have been female officers working on the case but most were typing, making tea or collating index cards.

I'm not sure when women were allowed to become detectives but I doubt there were any on the ripper team.

[PopperUppleton]

Of course not all police are sexist racist misogynists. Just the ones in charge of this case to a certain degree.

I worked for a neighbouring force and it was good to see outdated attitudes being challenged by the police recruits as time went on - young people brought up by modern women (and men) with modern attitudes.

[GeidiPrimes]

Ta for clarifying

[Flaxmeadow]

Get the impression that the "opinion" in operation there is that you should never miss an opportunity to blame a woman for men's behaviour. I expect they'd have started talking about his mother if the wife didn't make a good scapegoat. I often wonder if people who think that way are conscious of it - in a case like this what they're doing is so blatant that you'd think it might bring on a moment of self-reflection

I wasn't blaming her for his behaviour. I was commenting on the police investigation. An investigation BTW that involved a lot of hard working and dedicated female police officers.