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Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Caged Scots rapist's hero is the Yorkshire Ripper, claims devastated uncle
The rapist's uncle also revealed what his 'catchphrase' was 'KEEP SICKO CAGED' Caged Scots rapist's hero is the Yorkshire Ripper, claims devastated uncle Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE uncle of a caged rapist told last night how the Yorkshire Ripper is his violent nephew's hero. Paul Reynolds says 'monster' Kyle Kernachan, 28 — who carried out a terrifying sex attack using a crowbar — idolises serial killer Peter Sutcliffe. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe murdered 13 women 3 Kyle Kernachan was convicted of two charges at the High Court in Edinburgh Credit: Alamy And Mr Reynolds, 58, believes Kernachan, who was jailed for eight years in May, will forever be a danger. He said: 'I've known him all his life and used to love him like a son, but he has a warped mind and a weird sexual drive. 'He's often spoken about Peter Sutcliffe. We thought he was joking. 'I don't think Kyle's murdered anyone, but I think he's carried out more sexual assaults. 'The risk of letting him go is too great. I don't think he can help himself. 'His catchphrases were 'vaping and raping' and 'use and abuse them'.' The fact that he used a crowbar on a girl shows he was getting dangerous... He will be a danger back on the streets Kernachan, of Lochgelly, Fife, was found guilty of using a crowbar on a woman in a horror attack at Silverknowes Beach, Edinburgh, between 2015 and 2016. The sicko also raped a sleeping woman in the capital's Granton area in 2017 when she was drunk and asleep. A third charge of raping another sleeping woman was not proven at the High Court in Edinburgh. Mr Reynolds, of the capital said: 'We hope more victims come forward. Brit teen, 16, 'raped' while swimming at popular beach on Greek holiday island as tourist, 15, arrested 'The fact that he used a crowbar on a girl shows he was getting dangerous. 'Eight years is not long enough. "He will be a danger back on the streets, but I don't think he'll appeal. Monster Sutcliffe murdered 13 women and attempted to kill seven others. He died in 2020 aged 74. Kernachan was also put on the sex offenders register for life.
The Sun
20-07-2025
- The Sun
I fear I'll be killed every day on streets where Yorkshire Ripper prowled for prostitutes… but there's no way out
HALF a century after the Yorkshire Ripper's reign of terror, sex workers are still working the same danger-plagued streets - and fear every night could be their last. Just a stone's throw from where evil Peter Sutcliffe prowled for victims, women ply their trade to punters in Bradford, West Yorkshire. 12 The city's deprived Manningham area remains a gritty red-light district almost five decades after serial killer Sutcliffe first struck. Three of his 13 known murder victims came from Bradford, and the women who still work the patch tell The Sun that the Ripper's shadow has never lifted. 'Nothing has changed' Mum-of-three Sarah, 30, said: "Fifty years on, what's changed? Nothing. "It's still really dangerous to be out on the streets. You don't know whose car you're getting into. "You don't know if you're going home at the end of the night. You don't know if you're going to end up in a hospital. "Every time I get into a car, I don't know if I'm coming back out." Sutcliffe lived just north of Lumb Lane in Bradford's red-light district, where he would often drive around watching the women working the streets. Desperate to lose his virginity, he was tricked out of £5 by a sex worker, and in a fit of rage, returned with a brick in a sock - only to attack the wrong woman by mistake. Experts believe it was on these streets that the violent, troubled Sutcliffe transformed into the Yorkshire Ripper. Patricia Atkinson, 32, was Sutcliffe's fourth victim but the first to be slain in Bradford, in 1977. The sex worker met Peter in Lumb Lane before being killed with a hammer in her flat on Oak Avenue. The long-derelict block of flats - now a haven for antisocial behaviour - remains frozen in time as a haunting reminder of the Ripper. Young mum Yvonne Pearson, 21, was battered with a hammer in 1978. Her body was hidden under an old sofa on a grassy embankment just streets from her home, not far from Lumb Lane. The Ripper's third Bradford victim was 20-year-old student Barbara Leach, whose murder in 1979 displayed how Sutcliffe's violence extended beyond prostitutes. 12 12 12 12 The lorry driver was for years able to carry on his brutal reign of terror in part because police attitudes saw sex workers as dispensable and only took the case seriously once "innocent young girls" had been killed. Sarah, who has worked the streets since age 14 after being groomed and hooked on drugs, accused police of similar failings today. Her aunt Shelley Armitage, 31, was one of three sex workers butchered by self-proclaimed Crossbow Cannibal Stephen Griffiths in 2010. The monster, who used power tools to dismember victims, revered and meticulously studied the methods of Sutcliffe. 'Cops saw us as dispensable' Sarah said: 'I've been sexually assaulted, beaten, robbed so many times. You tell the police - they don't do nothing. So you stop reporting it. What's the point? "They don't care. They never have." "I'm not a bad person. People think us prostitutes, we're thieves, we're liars, we're horrible, we're nasty, but we're not. We're really not. We're just human beings that are lost. "I didn't choose this life for myself. People think we just woke up one day and thought we'd become prostitutes and get hooked on drugs. "No-one wants to do what we do for £30 a go. There's no pleasure in it, there's money in it. "We just scrape by," Another sex worker, who asked not to be identified, said the fear of violence remained constant. She said: "I grew up learning about the Ripper. The first car that I ever got in, I was s***scared. "And, you know what, to this day, 20 years later I still get that feeling. "It's a constant fear every day that I could be the next victim. "I'm dying to get out of it. I'm done with this. I'm sick of it." During Sutcliffe's killing spree, women's groups accused police of institutional sexism. I've been sexually assaulted, beaten, robbed so many times. You tell the police - they don't do nothing. So you stop reporting it Sarah, 30 Some victims' families were even told their loved ones had 'brought it on themselves' by working as prostitutes. The term 'non-prostitute victim' was shockingly used to distinguish Barbara Leach from others. Tracy Browne, who was bludgeoned with a hammer in Silsden, Yorkshire, in 1975, was ignored by police who doubted her story because her profile as a 14-year-old schoolgirl did not fit with senior officers' theory about the killer's motivation. The brutal attack was not filed as a Ripper assault until Sutcliffe confessed to police in Broadmoor prison in 1992. In his disturbing confessional, Sutcliffe admitted: 'I saw this Tracy Browne. She didn't look 15, she looked 19 or 20. She were all dressed up. She were walking slowly up this lane. 'I thought, 'Oh, she's probably one of these prostitutes' because I had it in my mind Silsden must be full of prostitutes. 'Anyway, I hit her with a branch or something, didn't really injure her, and threw her over a wall. I climbed over and I was thinking of bumping her off and this voice said, 'Stop, stop. It's a mistake'.' Ms Browne, 62, said: 'Sutcliffe was practising on me and as his cockiness increased, his crimes became more heinous. "All his victims were real woman with real lives and real families. 'They deserve to be remembered for who they were." That same disbelief shown from authorities is still part of life in Bradford, say the women who work those streets today. Ms Hollins added: "People think we're thieves, we're liars, we're horrible, we're nasty, but we're not. "We're really not. We're just human beings that are lost." It is feared the Ripper, who died of Covid in 2020, was behind a shocking tally of unsolved cases that have remained dormant for decades. A report after he was handed 20 life sentences in 1981 found that Sutcliffe could have been responsible for a further 13 offences. Cases linked to the Ripper include Mo Lea, who almost had her spinal cord severed as he pinned her to the ground and assaulted her with a sharpened screwdriver. Mo, 65, who was attacked in Leeds in 1980, warned that without real action the killings of Sutcliffe and Griffiths could be repeated. She said: "I've always said if these victims had been men, lessons would have been learned. At the time in the 70 and 80s, women were deemed as second class citizens. "And to this day, I still think that is the case. "I do honestly deeply believe that there is still misogyny in the police and lessons have not been learned after all these years." 12 NOBODY TALKS ABOUT HIM HERE A report after Sutcliffe was handed 20 life sentences in 1981 found that he could have been responsible for a further 13 offences. The 1982 Byford report, made public in 2006, said: "We feel it is highly improbable that the crimes in respect of which Sutcliffe has been charged and convicted are the only ones attributable to him." It was revealed in 2017 that police interviewed Sutcliffe in jail about 16 unsolved attacks but they did not quiz him about any murders. No charges were ever brought. In 2020, West Yorkshire Police apologised for the "language, tone and terminology" used in the 70s to describe Ripper victims. Force Chief Constable John Robins said the language used at the time was "as wrong then as it is now". He insisted that the force's approach to investigations was now "wholly victim-focused". By Owen Scott Wilma McCann Wilma was Peter's first victim, whom he murdered on October 20, 1975. The mum-of-four was reportedly seen leaving her home at 7:30pm, before heading to a pub for a night out with some friends. She is believed to have been picked up by Peter in his car, who then killed her in the Prince Philip Playing Fields just five minutes away from her house. Emily Jackson Emily Jackson was just 42-years-old when she was murdered by Peter on January 20th, 1976. She was working as a part-time sex worker when Peter drove her to an area near Manor Street Industrial Estate. Like Wilma, she was killed by a hammer and then stabbed with a screwdriver. Emily was then found by a workman the next day. Irene Richardson Like Emily, Irene was a sex worker who was killed with a hammer by Peter but her death came almost a year after Peter had claimed his second victim. She was a mum-of-three who was last seen near the Gaiety Pub, which was the same pub that Peter had kidnapped Emily. Irene was killed on February 5, 1977, in Soldier's Field before being found the next morning by a jogger. Patricia Atkinson Patricia was Peter's fourth victim, but the first to be killed in his hometown of Bradford. This forced the police to consider that the killer may be operating in a larger area than Leeds. Patricia, known by friends as Tina, met Peter in the Red Light District before being killed with a hammer in her flat on Oak Avenue. Jayne MacDonald Jayne was just 16-years-old when she became Peter's youngest victim. She had been working as a shop assistant in Grandways Supermarket in Leeds before her death on June 26, 1977. Jayne was returning from a night out when Peter followed her home and killed her. Her body was found by a group of school children the next morning, who came across her body in the playground. Jean Jordan Jean was Peter's first victim to be killed outside of West Yorkshire. He met Jean in Moss Side, Manchester, on October 1, 1977, before killing her. She was found eight days later by a local worker named Bruce Jones, who fans of the show Coronation Street may recognise as Les Battersby. Yvonne Pearson Peter's crime spree continued into 1978, when he murdered 21-year-old prostitute Yvonne Pearson. He killed Yvonne in his home town Bradford, on January 21, leaving her two-year-old Colette and five-month-old Lorraine without a mother. They had been staying with a neighbour on the night that she was driven to a waste ground and killed. Her body was hidden with a sofa and wasn't found until March 26, just over two months after her disappearance. Helen Rytka By the time of Helen's death, Peter was being referred to by the media as 'The Yorkshire Ripper'. He murdered Helen on January 31, 1978, just over a week after he murdered Yvonne. Helen was only 18-years-old when she was killed in a timber yard but it took days for her body to eventually be found. She had been working as a prostitute at the time of her death, just like her twin sister Rita. Vera Millward Vera lived in Hulme in Manchester, where Peter was only known to have struck once. She was a mother-of-seven who had serious health problems, including only having one functional lung. Vera was killed just outside Manchester Royal Infirmary, before her body was found the next day. She had left home to meet a regular client, but instead got into Peter's car on May 16, 1978. Josephine Whitaker Josephine worked as a clerk in Halifax, before Peter killed her with a screwdriver on April 4, 1979. She was the tenth person to be killed by The Yorkshire Ripper, but her case was another turning point for the police. A boot print, matching the ones left at Patricia Atkinson and Emily Jackson's murders, was found next to her body which confirmed that the killer had struck again after a year of silence. Barbara Leach Barbara was a student at Bradford University and was just 20-years-old when Peter murdered her. She left a shared home belonging to some friends in Grove Terrace on the night of September 1, 1979, when Peter began following her. Barbara was then dragged into an alley and stabbed, but it took two days for her to be reported as missing. Marguerite Walls Marguerite left her office in Leeds later than usual on August 20, 1980, since she was preparing to go on holiday the next day. The civil servant walked home through Farsley, which she knew was a brightly-lit way home. However, unbeknownst to her, Peter had begun following her. After killing her with a hammer and rope, Peter hid her body in the grounds of Claremont House where she was later discovered by some gardeners. Jacqueline Hill Peter's final known victim was Jacqueline Hill, who was a student at Leeds University. The Yorkshire Ripper murdered her just 100 yards from her flat, with the hammer and screwdriver that now typified his crimes. Her body was found a day later.
Scottish Sun
19-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
‘Sex obsessed' Night Stalker killer sent me twisted doodles from jail… but constant chilling request turned my stomach
When pushed on whether he regretted any of his atrocious crimes, criminologist Alfie James was stunned by Ramirez's response SICK FANTASY 'Sex obsessed' Night Stalker killer sent me twisted doodles from jail… but constant chilling request turned my stomach RICHARD Ramirez shocked America when he displayed a pentagram on his palm during his trial for 13 murders and declared 'Hail Satan'. And Alfie James was also taken aback when the Night Stalker sent him a drawing of the same hand, alongside sketches of scantily clad women. Advertisement 18 Ramirez caused controversy in his trial, shouting 'Hail Satan' 18 He sent amature criminologist Alfie a series of crude pictures Credit: Alfie James 18 Ramirez was convicted of 13 murders, five attempted murders and 11 sexual assaults Credit: YouTube 18 Ramirez and Alfie wrote to each other for six years until Ramirez died Credit: Alfie James Britain's top amateur criminologist began writing to Ramirez after he was given the death penalty in a bid to explore what made him tick. Advertisement But Alfie never imagined the twisted requests that the sex attacker would make - and the sinister childlike drawings he would post to him from across the Atlantic. He said: 'I looked at the drawing of his hand and it sent a chill down my spine. 'His hand was massive and had played a part in the many murders and rapes he had committed. 'But that wasn't the only shocking thing that arrived in the post from him. 'As well as his own drawings of women wearing very little, he actually asked me to take photographs of women in real life. Advertisement 'He wanted me to take my camera when I went swimming to capture pictures of women and girls in bikinis. It made me feel sick – and I obviously said no.' After years of communicating with killers here in the UK – including Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and Moors Murderer Ian Brady – Alfie became intrigued by the 'Night Stalker' case after watching a documentary. He said: 'We don't have the death penalty here, of course, so I was fascinated by what life on death row was like. 'What does it do to someone's mind sitting there in a cell day after day, knowing that the only way out is the executioner's chair?' Netflix docu-series Night Stalker - The Hunt for a Serial Killer to track horrific murders of Richard Ramirez In 2007 he wrote to Ramirez at San Quentin Prison, California's oldest jail, which opened in 1854 and was where Charles Manson also served time. Advertisement Ramirez replied and they struck up a regular correspondence, swapping scores of letters over the next six years until the killer died of natural causes in 2013 before he could be executed. During that time, Alfie – who turned part of his vast true crime library into the definitive biography of Sutcliffe, I'm the Yorkshire Ripper, written with Sun reporter Robin Perrie – gained a fascinating insight into the mind of a killer. Violent upbringing 18 Ramirez had a violent upbringing in El Paso with an abusive father Credit: . 18 He started attacking people when he was just 22 years old after moving to California Credit: AP Born in El Paso, Texas, in 1960, Ramirez grew up in an abusive family – his dad was violent and he saw his cousin shoot his wife dead during an argument. Advertisement In 1982, when Ramirez was 22, he moved from Texas to California and two years later began attacking men, women and children, often breaking into their homes at night. He used guns, knives and his bare hands to kill his victims, telling one woman to swear 'to Satan' that she wouldn't look at him as he sexually assaulted her. He carved a satanic symbol into the wall of the home of another couple he attacked. Ramirez was arrested in 1985 after his photo appeared on the front of newspapers as part of a police appeal. Locals recognised him as he left a store and gave chase. He ran for six miles, trying to car jack vehicles to get away before a group of have-a-go-heroes surrounded him. Advertisement What does it do to someone's mind sitting there in a cell day after day, knowing that the only way out is the executioner's chair? Alfie James In the latest instalment of The Sun's Meeting a Monster series, Alfie revealed that the killer took a sick pride in his escape bid. Factory worker Alfie, 49, said: 'He was really proud of how far he had run. 'He ran for miles and miles away from a crowd that were after him after they recognised him in the newspaper. He was quite boastful about how far he ran. 'I first came across his story on a documentary and I thought being on death row is totally different to anything we have here. 'So I wrote to him and, just like the serial killers I had written to here in the UK, he replied. Advertisement 'He asked me as many questions as I was asking him. Where have you been, where are you going, how many are in your family? He sometimes wrote a list of questions for me to answer, and I'm thinking, 'Who's interviewing who here?' 'He would send a lot of drawings, mainly of females in bikinis, and he would say, 'Can you send some pictures of girls in underwear bikinis?' 'One time I said we'd been swimming he said, 'If you go again can you take some pictures poolside for me?' I thought, I'm not doing that." Sick obsession 18 Ramirez revealed his obsession with sex and scantily dressed women Credit: Alfie James 18 Despite his violent crimes against women, Doreen Lioy married him in 1996 Credit: AP Photo Advertisement Alfie said Ramirez was "clearly sex obsessed", adding: "It was constant. 'He also once mentioned he liked the Benny Hill shows. I immediately thought, 'It's not the jokes or sense of humour he likes, it's the girls in swimsuits and stockings and suspenders.' 'The girls he drew were always in stockings and suspenders or short skirts, and he said in one letter, 'Do you have any school yearbooks? If so send copy pages from the girls' sports section'.' In another, Ramirez wrote: 'Send pics of girls. Make 'em in bikini thong or lingerie from head to toe,' and he also asked Alife: 'Do you have a favourite sport? Mine to watch is girls' volleyball.' One time I said we'd been swimming he said, 'If you go again can you take some pictures poolside for me?' I thought, I'm not doing that Alfie James In yet another, he begged: 'Send pictures of naked girls. You can try covering naked spots by drawing a bikini.' Advertisement As well as his near X-rated drawings, he also sent more childlike sketches of cars and transformers. Alfie said: 'He came across as very young in many ways, sending drawings of things like transformers or the Green Goblin. 'I quizzed him about death row. You always think it is really noisy in prison, but he said death row was quiet because they had proper steel doors. 'He didn't seem scared about his execution, he seemed quite relaxed.' 18 Ramirez sent Alfie a series of childlike drawings with his letters Credit: Alfie James Advertisement 18 All of the paintings were signed by the serial killer Credit: Alfie James 18 Ramirez didn't demonstrate any remorse in his letters to Alfie Credit: AP Richard Ramirez's victims During his violent crime spree, Ramirez committed 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries. Here we list his murder victims. Mei Leung, nine, was murdered on April 10th, 1984 in the basement of her family apartment building. He proceeded to beat, strangle and then rape Mei before stabbing her to death. He was only linked to her murder by DNA in 2009. Jennie Vincow, 79, was murdered by Ramirez in her flat in Glassell Park, Los Angeles on June 28th 1984. Ramirez repeatedly stabbed her in the head, chest, and neck and then slashed her neck so deeply it nearly decapitated her. Dayle Yoshie Okazaki, 34, was shot in the head by Ramirez when fleeing his attempted murder of her roommate Maria Hernandez, 22, on March 17th, 1985. Tsai-Lian "Veronica" Yu, 30, was attacked by Ramirez an hour later on March 17th, 1985. He dragged her out of her car in Monterey Park, and shot her twice with a .22 caliber handgun. Vincent Charles Zazzara, 64, and his wife Maxine Levenia Zazzara, 44. Ramirez shot Vincent in the head on March 27th, 1985, then proceeded to beat and shoot Maxine in the head three times. He mutilated her dead body by carving an inverted cross into her chest, then removed her eyes and placed them in a jewellery box which he took with him. Bill Doi, 66, on May 14th, 1985. Ramirez shot Bill in the face with a .22 semi-automatic pistol and then beat him unconscious. He then raped Bill's disabled wife Lillian Doi, 56. Bill died in hospital from his injuries. Mabel "Ma" Bell, 83, and her disabled sister, Florence "Nettie" Lan, 81, were attacked at their home on May 29th 1985. He bludgeoned Florence with a hammer and then raped her. He then bludgeoned Mabel before electrocuting her. He used lipstick to draw a pentagram on Mabel's leg and the walls of the room. Both women were found alive and comatose. Mabel died on July 15 in hospital from her injuries. Florence died in August from hers. Mary Louise Cannon, 75, was stabbed to death by Ramirez in her home in Arcadia on July 2nd 1985. He bludgeoned her with a lamp until she was unconscious, then stabbed her to death with her own kitchen knife. Lela Kneiding, 66, and her husband Maxon Kneiding, 68, were shot dead and hacked with a machete by Ramirez while they were still alive on July 20th 1985. Chainarong Khovananth, 32, was shot dead by Ramirez the same night in Sun Valley, Los Angeles. He then repeatedly raped and beat Somkid Khovananth, 32. Elyas Abowath, 31, was fatally shot while asleep by Ramirez on August 8th 1985. He then attacked Elyas's wife Sakina Abowath, 27, and repeatedly raped her in front of the couple's three-year-old son. Peter Pan, 66, and Barbara Pan, 62, were shot by Ramirez at their home in Mission Viejo, on August 24th 1985. He raped Barbara before shooting her in the head. No regrets Unlike some of the killers Alife has corresponded with, Ramirez was reluctant to discuss the details of his crimes. But like almost all of them, he didn't express any remorse, and suggested he didn't have many regrets, only in the way his arrest had affected his own life. Alife said: 'The only time he ever hinted at any regret was when he said he 'came to California on a whim and as you can see, didn't turn out too good'. Advertisement 'It was like he was brushing off all of his crimes and was suggesting they only happened because had moved to California. 'It is typical of the self-absorption that a lot of serial killers exhibit. 'It was as if it was nothing, as if he had moved to LA for work and the job didn't work out. He was massively trivialising a lot of very serious crimes. 'And when I pushed him again on whether he had any regrets, he didn't mention murdering and raping all those people. 'He said the one regret that came to mind was not asking out more girls on dates when he was at school, which was incredible.' Advertisement 18 Mei Leung, 9 was beaten, raped, and stabbed by Ramirez in April 1984 Credit: . 18 60-year-old Joyce Nelson was murdered by Ramirez in July 1985 Credit: Netflix 18 Lela and Maxon Kneiding were murdered by Ramirez in Glendale, California in 1989 Credit: Netflix Ramirez was found guilty on all charges - 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries - in 1989 and given 19 death penalties. He died before he could be executed, from complications from health issues including lymphoma and hepatitis C. Advertisement Alife and Ramirez swapped their last letters just weeks before his death. He said: 'You always want to find out more about a serial killer. The next letter might finally contain that one nugget which explains why they did what they did. 'But with Ramirez, as with some of the others I have corresponded with, it wasn't easy to read their letters. 'I certainly didn't miss his non-stop requests for disturbing pictures of women and the stream of strange drawings he sent me. 'Or, like with so many others, his sense of self-importance. Advertisement When I pushed him again on whether he had any regrets, he didn't mention murdering and raping all those people. He said the one regret that came to mind was not asking out more girls on dates when he was at school, which was incredible Alfie James 'There are many complex reasons why anyone becomes a serial killer, but that is one common factor I have discovered. 'A lot of them have a massively over-inflated sense of their own importance, they think the world revolves around them. 'Whether it is a case of them enjoying the publicity that their crimes have afforded them or whether they were always like that, who knows? 'But they do tend to feel that conversations should always be about them and their feelings, as if they are always the most important person in the room, as if they are the celebrity of their hospital or prison. 'A lack of remorse is another common factor. Not one of them that I got to know expressed full and genuine remorse for their crimes and the terrible heartache they had caused their families. Advertisement 'In their minds, their cases involved another victim – and that was them.' 'I'm The Yorkshire Ripper' by Robin Perrie and Alfie James is published by Mirror Books and is available in paperback and as an ebook. Buy it on Amazon now. 18 Maria Hernandez survived Ramirez's attempt to murder her with a revolver Credit: . 18 Ramirez has never shown remorse for his catalogue of violent crimes Credit: Getty Images - Getty 18 Ramirez was held in the same prison that Charles Manson was incarcerated in Credit: AP:Associated Press 18 Richard Ramirez murdered sisters Mabel "Ma" Bell, 83, and her sister Florence "Nettie" Lang in their beds Credit: .
The Sun
14-07-2025
- The Sun
How Yorkshire Ripper formed bizarre friendship with Ronnie Kray over haircuts… & why he called dapper gangster a ‘slob'
THE Yorkshire Ripper spent 32 years at Broadmoor – but if it had been down to him it would have been a lot less. Shortly after he arrived at the high security hospital in Berkshire he dreamt up an audacious escape plan, which he tried to pull off with the help of Ronnie Kray. 14 14 Ronnie was doing life for murder after he shot dead George Cornell in the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel in 1966. And just like Sutcliffe, he had been transferred to Broadmoor after a spell in prison when he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The hospital may not have been a prison but there were still bars on Sutcliffe's windows, and during his early years he found himself staring at them as the plan began forming in his mind. If he could acquire a hacksaw blade and spend the night sawing through the bars, then eventually he might be able to make it out into the grounds and scale the perimeter wall. It was an escape plot straight out of a Hollywood movie which had little chance of succeeding in reality, but that didn't put off Sutcliffe - who sought Ronnie's help, even though Broadmoor gossip had it that they didn't get on. People also reckoned that Ronnie had tried to arrange for other inmates to attack Sutcliffe when he was in Parkhurst jail before he was transferred to Broadmoor, which the Ripper dismissed as rubbish. He said: 'I read it in a newspaper, I think it said that Ronnie had put a contract out on me but when I met him I pulled him about it and he totally denied any such thing. 'If it was true he must have been scared to admit it, but I believed him and we got on okay. 'I used to cut his hair and we used to sit and chat. Ronnie couldn't stand his hair being long, he always had to have it short and looking smart. 'He always thought people were talking about him but he trusted me and he trusted me to cut his hair, and we got on alright.' My twin and I were locked up as teens in Broadmoor with Yorkshire Ripper & Krays for choosing to be mute - but I'll never forget sinister encounter with Jimmy Savile 14 14 14 Ronnie had a reputation of being a sharp dresser, appearing in the visiting room in a striking suit with monogrammed handkerchief and cufflinks. But Sutcliffe revealed that it was just for public show and his dress sense on the ward left something to be desired. He said: 'He dressed like a tramp on the ward. Scruffy old jeans and scruffy shirt, not dressed up at all. "He only wore [suits] to show off to impress people, but when he came back on the ward he was a bit of a slob.' Celebrity sightings It was no surprise Ronnie made an effort to look his best for visits, given the list of celebs who went to see him which included Richard Burton, Barbara Windsor and Debbie Harry. Sutcliffe added: 'I seen Roger Daltrey and lots of people come to visit Ron.' The twins have been immortalised in numerous films and television shows over the years, including the 1990 movie The Krays when they were played by the pop star brothers Gary and Martin Kemp, who also visited Broadmoor. Sutcliffe said: 'Them two Kemp brothers came to visit Ronnie and Reggie many times and discussed everything, got to know their personalities so they could portray them as near as possible. 'So Ronnie was happy with that and so was Reggie, they thought they'd done a pretty good job on it. 'He didn't like his mother portrayed as cursing like that. But they were fairly happy with the outcome of the film.' Bid for freedom 14 14 14 Sutcliffe revealed all about his day-to-day life in the secure hospital to Britain's top amateur criminologist, Alfie James. Factory worker Alfie, 49, grew close to him over 16 years when he visited him regularly in Broadmoor and spoke to him every week by phone. He built up a huge library of material from him which he turned into the definitive biography of Sutcliffe, I'm the Yorkshire Ripper, written with Sun reporter Robin Perrie. In the final instalment of our Beast of Broadmoor series to mark 50 years since the Ripper's first known attack, Alfie reveals it was Ronnie Kray who helped him acquire the hacksaw blade which he intended to use to achieve his freedom. Sutcliffe told Alfie: 'It came from a friend of Ronnie Kray's who was a patient in Broadmoor. 'It could have been brought in, as security wasn't that good back then, but inside Broadmoor we had workshops, that's where I think it came from. "I just know Ronnie Kray was involved in getting us the blade.' The blade was snapped in half and a friend of Sutcliffe's, who intended to escape with him, took the other section to get to work on the bars in his own room. The Ripper added: 'I nearly managed to cut through one of the bars in my cell window.' He hid the blade during the day behind a skirting board, but the escape attempt came to an abrupt end when, without warning, he was moved to another room. He said: 'For some reason I was moved to another cell, nothing to do with what I'd been trying to do. 'After a while, that cell was being decorated and it was noticed that the bar on the window had been nearly cut through. "Because it had been a while since I'd done it, it had turned rusty so no connection was made to me.' Real motive 14 14 Alfie also revealed Sutcliffe's own view of the most commonly asked question about the Ripper case – why did he kill? What turned a softly-spoken lorry driver who loved his mum and was devoted to his wife into an evil monster? Detectives, lawyers and doctors all disagreed on what was behind his reign of terror, with many convinced he made up the voices to try and secure an easy life in Broadmoor, rather than a tougher prison regime. But as far as Sutcliffe, who died in 2020 aged 74, was concerned, the answer was simple. He told Alfie: 'I was suffering from an illness which caused hallucinations which were so realistic that I misinterpreted what was happening to me. 'Mental illness can be a deciding factor in a person's actions as they will tend to act out of character. 'I didn't want to do what I did, I was being controlled by my illness, but the tragedy is I didn't think I was ill, I just believed I was caught up in a miracle. So when things happened to thwart the police I simply believed it was divine intervention and thought no more of it. 'It's played down or even ignored by society, they only want to see people as being bad. 'It was only a short, brief period in my life, the events only took a short time, a matter of two or three minutes, and I was gone. 'It took me over 12 years inside before I gained any insight into my illness and even then it was after I'd been put on anti-psychotic injections which at first I strongly opposed. 'The brain is a very complex and fragile thing and no one should sit in judgement unless they are properly qualified in matters relating to mental illness, or if someone in your family has suffered from some such affliction. "Only then can you speak from personal experience.' But he never expressed remorse for his victims and instead spent years whining about how hard done by he was. He moaned that people said of him: ' 'Oh what a bad guy he is and all that' and I'm not, they don't focus on the illness. 'It was a serious mental illness that I had all them years. And I accepted it," he said. "I've come to terms with it, that it wasn't God. And that's the only reason it permitted me to go ahead with it, believing it was a miracle from God, you see. "I don't believe that now. My whole outlook and everything has changed drastically.' I'm The Yorkshire Ripper' by Robin Perrie and Alfie James is published by Mirror Books and is available in paperback and as an ebook. Buy it on Amazon now. 14 14 Who are the UK's worst serial killers? THE UK's most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor. Here's a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK. British GP Harold Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history. He was found guilty of murdering 15 patients in 2000, but the Shipman Inquiry examined his crimes and identified 218 victims, 80 per cent of whom were elderly women. After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845. Mary Ann Cotton is suspected of murdering up to 21 people, including husbands, lovers and children. She is Britain's most prolific female serial killer. Her crimes were committed between 1852 and 1872, and she was hanged in March 1873. Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903. William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies. Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was found guilty in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980. Dennis Nilsen was caged for life in 1983 after murdering up to 15 men when he picked them up from the streets. He was found guilty of six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in jail. Fred West was found guilty of killing 12 but it's believed he was responsible for many more deaths.
The Irish Sun
09-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
How smug Yorkshire Ripper ‘thanked God' after hoaxer sent cops on wild goose-chase… while he bludgeoned 3 more victims
PETER Sutcliffe spoke with an unmistakable Yorkshire accent which he never tried to disguise – even to the victims he spoke to briefly before attacking them. So the 20 Peter Sutcliffe thought it was an act of God that sent cops on the hunt for a Geordie killer Credit: Rex 20 Former labourer John Humble, dubbed Westside Jack, sent in a series of hoax recordings to police claiming to be the killer Credit: Rex Features 20 The Yorkshire Ripper killed 13 women during his terrifying spree Credit: PA It was the summer of 1979 and the killer had claimed 11 lives, with the police seemingly at a loss over how to catch him. Then an incredible stroke of fortune fell into their laps which seemed too good to be true. Following three letters purporting to be from the killer, a handwritten envelope addressed to George Oldfield - the detective in charge of the case - arrived at the incident room in Leeds. It contained a cassette bought from Woolworths, but no letter. The cassette had no writing on it, the manufacturer's label had been scraped off and forensic checks of the tape and envelope found no fingerprints. But when detectives played the tape it contained a huge clue - the killer's voice. The taunting message – delivered with a distinctive North East accent – said: 'I'm Jack [the killer was referred to as Jack the Ripper at the time]. I see you are still having no luck catching me.' Detective Superintendent Dick Holland, Mr Oldfield's right-hand man, later recalled: 'I thought the Ripper was taunting us for not having caught him. "The voice was so distinctive we felt sure that we were going to get him.' As for the real Ripper, he couldn't believe his luck. In the second instalment of our Beast of Broadmoor series marking 50 years since the first known attack by Peter Sutcliffe, The Sun reveals Sutcliffe's thoughts when he listened to the tape, along with millions of others across the country. Detective Constable Andy Laptew recalls interview with Peter Sutcliffe 20 The police thought that they had been given an amazing clue, but the tape was a hoax Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 20 Humble even wrote to the cops taunting them for having not found the killer Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 20 He signed the letters 'From Jack the Ripper' - the nickname given to the killer at the time Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 20 Detective George Oldfield, pictured listening to the recording, was taken in by the hoax and tried to track down a Geordie killer Credit: PA:Press Association 20 Humble wasn't arrested for the hoax until 2006 when he was nailed by DNA Credit: check copyright West Yorkshire Police launched a huge publicity drive to make sure as many people as possible got to hear the voice in the hope someone would recognise it. But while everyone else was puzzling over whether it was their relative, friend, colleague or neighbour, Sutcliffe told Britain's top amateur criminologist, Alfie James, how he was thanking God. Factory worker Alfie, 49, has built-up a huge library of true crime material after writing to killers on both sides of the Atlantic, including Sutcliffe and Moors murders Ian Brady. He grew close to Sutcliffe over 16 years, visiting him dozens of times in Broadmoor and Frankland Prison, speaking to him by phone almost every week and swapping around 400 letters, giving him an unparalleled insight into how the mind of one of Britain's most notorious serial killers worked. He turned this material into the definitive biography of Sutcliffe, I'm the Yorkshire Ripper, written with Sun reporter Robin Perrie. A central part of the story is the hoaxer, which would baffle detectives for decades. I thought, well, they can't win 'cos God's on my side directing everything Peter Sutcliffe The man behind one of the greatest mysteries in British criminal history proved to be a pathetic drunk who was obsessed with the Yorkshire Ripper case. But at the time, detectives were convinced it was the real Ripper behind the letters and tape - to Sutcliffe's delight. He told Alfie: 'I thought that it was diverting the police when that [hoaxer] came on to the scene. I thought, well, they can't win 'cos God's on my side directing everything.' Alfie explained how Sutcliffe was convinced that voices in his head were from God. He said: 'When he was a cemetery worker he heard a voice one day which he thought was coming from a grave. 'Sutcliffe described it as echoey at first and it took a while before the words formed. He thought it was a miracle, a voice from God.' Mission to 'cleanse streets' 20 Humble sent a series of letters with the cassette tape taunting the police Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 20 Sutcliffe claimed he believed the hoax was an act of God Credit: Ian Whittaker 20 Humble, aka Wearside Jack, was said to be obsessed with the case of the Yorkshire Ripper Credit: North News and Pictures The voice led him to launch a mission to 'clear the streets' of women he thought were prostitutes. The series of attacks which followed would result in 13 women being murdered after he smashed them over the head with a hammer and stabbed them. But the voice of God was not just directing him to kill, it was leading the police down a blind alley, according to Sutcliffe. The tape was played on television and radio, in work places and nightclubs and was heard by millions as the hoaxer taunted Detective Oldfield. He said: 'I have the greatest respect for you, George, but Lord, you are no nearer catching me now than four years ago when I started. 'I reckon your boys are letting you down, George. They can't be much good, can they? The only time they came near catching me was a few months back in Chapeltown when I was disturbed. Even then it was a uniformed copper not a detective. 'I'm not quite sure when I'll strike again but it will be definitely some time this year.' I'm not quite sure when I'll strike again but it will be definitely some time this year Yorkshire Ripper hoaxer, John Humble The reaction from the public when they heard the three minute, 37 second tape was electric. Dedicated telephone lines set up for people to listen to it instantly jammed due to the huge level of interest. There were 238 officers working full-time on the inquiry at the time and 100 were tasked solely to answer calls about the tape, but even they were quickly swamped. Eleven West Yorkshire detectives were despatched to Sunderland – where experts reckoned the accent was from - to help colleagues in Northumbria Police follow up potential leads. Sutcliffe said: "I was quite aware that the hoaxer was misleading the police but I wasn't in a position to let them know that, of course, as my duty at the time was to a much higher entity – God. 'I said to myself, 'Thanks to God'. I believed God had used him to distract the police and get the attention off me. It was God's will. 20 Sutcliffe started hearing voices when working as a grave digger Credit: Getty 20 He eventually admitted to the murders at the Old Baliey while on trial Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 20 Delays caused by the hoax allowed Sutcliffe to murder three more women - from left to right, Barbara Leach, 20, Marguerite Walls, 47, and Jacqueline Hill, 20 'I had a duty to protect the mission at all costs. I felt fully protected and at the time believed God had influenced the hoaxer.' The letters and tape were finally revealed as a hoax when Sutcliffe – with his Yorkshire accent – was arrested in January 1981 and then convicted of the attacks and jailed for life. It remained an intriguing aspect of the story until former security guard John Humble, from Sunderland, was arrested in 2005 thanks to a familial DNA breakthrough when his brother was arrested and his sample matched that from one of the hoax envelopes. Humble was jailed for eight years and died aged 63 at his home in South Shields in July 2019. Delays caused by the hoax allowed Sutcliffe to murder three more women - Barbara Leach, 20, Marguerite Walls, 47, and Jacqueline Hill, 20. Bradford University student Barbara was attacked with a hammer after walking past Sutcliffe. She was then dragged into a backyard and stabbed with a screwdriver, her body left covered with an old piece of carpet. The killer hit civil servant Marguerite over the head with a hammer repeatedly before tying rope around her neck and strangling her with it, then removed her clothes, leaving her in just her tights. Sutcliffe dragged the body of Jacqueline, his final victim who he'd stabbed repeatedly in the chest and eye with a screwdriver, to a patch of wasteland and removed her clothes. Former Det Supt Bob Bridgestock, part of the Ripper squad, said lives "could have been saved" were it not for the hoax, adding: "We don't know what Humble's reasons were for doing what he did. "But he really frustrated, hindered and distracted the inquiry. "After the tape there were another three women killed. Perhaps lives could have been saved if it hadn't been for him." Pen pal motivation 20 Alfie wrote to Sutcliffe to try to find out more about the killer, who had kept silent Credit: Getty 20 Alfie also wrote to the Kray Twins; Ronnie had become close pals with Sutcliffe in Broadmoor Credit: Hulton Archive - Getty It was one of the many fascinating aspects of the Yorkshire Ripper story which encouraged Alfie to contact Sutcliffe to find out more in 2004. Alfie said: 'Sutcliffe was the silent killer really at the time because there wasn't much information coming from him. 'Ian Brady never shut up about himself, the Krays' story had been told again and again, and there had been books about 'But there was not much from Sutcliffe so I decided to write to him to find out things for myself. 'He replied and it went from there. 'He would talk to me about everything, not just the crime stuff, but stuff he'd done growing up as a kid, all aspects of his life and the case. 'For me it was the chance of a lifetime to get this information from somebody who fascinated lots of people because of what he had done. 'We all wanted to know why, and people want to know about all aspects of the case, including the hoaxer, and I was able to get that information from him.' Face-to-face with victim 20 Maureen Long came face to face with Sutcliffe after the attack but didn't recognise him Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 20 She was tricked into thinking he was a taxi driver and got into his car Credit: Ross Parry - The News of the World 20 Sutcliffe was with his wife Sonia when he passed survivor Maureen in the street Credit: Empics Another incredible moment which Sutcliffe, who died in 2020 aged 74, told Alfie about was when he passed one of his victims in the street while shopping with wife Sonia. Mum-of-three Maureen Long was attacked after a night out in Bradford in July, 1977, when Sutcliffe tricked her into getting into his car by pretending to be a taxi driver. He hit her over the head with a hammer after parking near a factory and stabbed her five times. But he was disturbed and fled, leaving Maureen seriously injured but alive. I looked her in the face but she didn't show any sign of recognition Peter Sutcliffe Sutcliffe was shocked to later read that his latest victim had survived – and even more horrified when he passed her while shopping in Bradford's Arndale Centre with his wife Sonia. He immediately recognised her, but was then filled with relief: 'She didn't even remember me. 'I saw her in town when I was shopping with Sonia, we walked right past her and I looked her in the face but she didn't show any sign of recognition. She didn't even remember who I was.' Who are the UK's worst serial killers? THE UK's most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor. Here's a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK. After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845. Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903. William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies. Relieved, Sutcliffe would continue attacking women until his arrest in Sheffield in January 1981 as he prepared to commit yet another assault. He was jailed for life and sent to prison until he was transferred to Broadmoor in 1984, when it was decided he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. Sutcliffe would spend 32 years at the top security hospital alongside the country's most dangerous killers and rapists. But it would have been much shorter if his audacious escape bid had succeeded. NEXT TIME: RIPPER'S PLAN How I tried to escape Broadmoor - with Ronnie Kray's help 'I'm The Yorkshire Ripper' by Robin Perrie and Alfie James is published by Mirror Books and is available in paperback and as an ebook. Buy it on 20 Wearside Jack had a distinctive Geordie accent which wasn't the same as Sutcliffe's Credit: Collect
