Ripper’s bid for freedom

The Yorkshire Ripper has won his fight to seek parole.

Peter Sutcliffe’s application to have a tariff set for his sentence is due to be heard at the High Court in London on 16 July.

Now known as Peter Coonan, the 63–year–old former lorry driver from Bradford was convicted at the Old Bailey in London in 1981.

He received 20 life terms for the murder of 13 women and the attempted murder of seven others in Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

A judge recommended that he serve a minimum of 30 years behind bars.

The Ripper struck twice in Manchester, killing Jean Jordan in 1977 and Vera Millward a year later.

He was a regular visitor to the Seddon Atkinson truck factory in Heyside, Royton, for nearly three years from 1978 at the height of his murders.

He drove a 32-ton lorry for Clark Holdings of Bradford delivering axles to the Royton firm and the transport company provided a vital link for detectives hunting him down. Police found a £5 note on the body of his tenth victim Jean Jordan which was traced to Clark’s payroll.

Sutcliffe was interviewed but released and went on to kill seven more women before he was caught in 1981 as he approached Yorkshire prostitute Olivia Reivers.

His name was not on a Home Office list, published in 2006, of 35 murderers serving whole life sentences and he was given no formal minimum sentence.

He is currently being held in Broadmoor top security psychiatric hospital after being transferred from prison in 1984 suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

Dr Kevin Murray, the psychiatrist who has been in charge of Sutcliffe’s care since 2001, said in a 2006 report that he now posed a “low risk of reoffending”.

In setting his tariff, the High Court is expected to take account of the gravity of his crimes and any representations from him, his victims or their families.