Ripper on the Move

News of serial killers in our midst here in the UK are always that little bit more shocking. Why? Firstly, because we are a relatively small country compared to places like the USA and secondly, because it’s hard to imagine people like that living on our streets, in our towns and cities. Headlines about the original modern day serial killer, Jack the Ripper, have sensationalised the news of a serial killer on the loose – but that doesn’t stop them.

Jack the Ripper terrorised the streets of the East End of London in the autumn of 1888, killing at least five women (although speculation suggests he may have killed many more).  Since his reign of terror, there have been many other serial killers, but not many have garnered the same level of notoriety or coverage from the press.

That being said, there is one that has stood out, and even been dubbed a copycat; The Yorkshire Ripper.

Peter Sutcliffe – The Yorkshire Ripper

Almost 100 years after the modern world’s most famous serial killer took to the streets of London and massacred his victims; there was another serial killer in the making.

Based in Yorkshire, Peter Sutcliffe primarily targeted prostitutes in and around Bradford, Leeds and Manchester – earning him the copycat moniker “The Yorkshire Ripper”, due to the similarities between his killing spree and those in London a century prior.

Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attempted to kill seven others. Unlike Jack the Ripper, he was caught and convicted to serve twenty life sentences.

Sutcliffe was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and has spent much of his time behind bars in Broadmoor hospital.

However, in December 2015, the Yorkshire Ripper was deemed mentally able to return to prison, and the transfer was made in August 2016. Now aged 70, Sutcliffe will remain behind bars indefinitely for his crimes.

Keep on Moving

While the Yorkshire Ripper has been on the move between prison and hospital for the last three decades, the original serial killer Jack the Ripper was the one that truly got away. He kept moving during his killing spree – even managing to kill two victims in one night – and as the police hunt intensified and narrowed in, he was able to get away with murder, quite literally.

To this day, the true identity of the Ripper is unknown; the answer we are all looking for to the question who Jack the Ripper is – remains unanswered.

Join us on our daily tour to review the victims, the crime scenes, the evidence, and the suspects with our expert Ripperologist tour guides ready to answer your questions! Book your tickets here today.