Police in England have issued an apology to the victims of the Yorkshire Ripper and their relatives, following the death of the serial killer.
Peter Sutcliffe killed 13 women during a five year killing spree in the 1970s, targeting sex workers and women who he believed to be working as prostitutes.
The press and pubic realised a serial killer was on the loose the Ripper he killed teenager Jayne McDonald in 1975.
While his identity remained a mystery for five long years, Sutcliffe ultimately gave a 24-hour confession in 1981.
He was ultimately convicted for the murder of thirteen women and the attempted murder of seven others.
Sentenced to 20 life terms in prison, he died today after refusing COVID-19 treatment.
Some senior police and prosecutors in the 1970s and 80s have faced sharp criticism over the years for the way they described victims of Sutcliffe - in particular those who were sex workers, often suggesting they were separate from "innocent" victims.
In a statement today, West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable John Robins offered a 'heartfelt apology' to the surviving victims and relatives.
He said:“On behalf of West Yorkshire Police, I apologise for the additional distress and anxiety caused to all relatives by the language, tone and terminology used by senior officers at the time in relation to Peter Sutcliffe’s victims.
“Such language and attitudes may have reflected wider societal attitudes of the day, but it was as wrong then as it is now.
“A huge number of officers worked to identify and bring Peter Sutcliffe to justice and it is a shame that their hard work was overshadowed by the language of senior officers used at the time, the effect of which is still felt today by surviving relatives."
He said such attitudes are now "consigned to history" and the police approach now is "wholly victim focused".
First victim
Wilma McCann was the first victim of the Yorkshire Ripper, after she was attacked and killed near her home in Leeds.
Wilma died on October 30th 1975 - her son Richard was just five years old at the time.
Speaking today, Richard said: "I'm not celebrating the fact he's gone - but the relief is, to some degree, that it's closure."
However, he noted the apology from police 'is something worth celebrating'.
Susie Beever, crime correspondent at The Yorkshire Post, spoke to The Hard Shoulder this evening.
She said: "I spoke to [Richard McCann] this morning... and something he said is something we should all take on board today.
"People like Peter Sutcliffe do not deserve the tag of being some sort of cult icon... the cult status that comes with criminals like him, who have ruined so many lives.
"We do have a fascination these days with true crime and serial killers - a dark obsession we all have. But these are real people's lives."
'Culture of fear'
Ms Beever said Sutcliffe left people across Yorkshire living in fear for five years.
She explained: "Thousands of women, for five years, lived in this state of 'I can't go out at night unchaperoned... I can't go out and do my daily business without looking over my shoulder'.
"At the time, it raised a lot of discussion about the way we talk about victims versus perpetrators.
"West Yorkshire police's current chief constable has issued a formal apology for the way that some of the victims were talked about at the time... as women who'd gone out at night... sex workers were talked about as women of loose morals."
Ms Beever said a lot of women in Leeds held a major protest in the city over the way the police had issued statements about the case.
She explained: "That protest... was actually the birth of 'reclaim the night' - a movement of protests... across the country, where women take to the streets and [say] they have every right to feel safe, and that we shouldn't be perpetuating this culture of victim blaming."
