One of Britain’s most prolific serial killers has been questioned over 17 further unsolved attacks which are thought to bear similarities to his appalling catalogue of crimes.
Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was found guilty in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others.
The married truck driver carried out his reign of terror in northern England between 1975 and 1980. Now aged 70, Sutcliffe is serving a life term at HMP Frankland in Durham.
According to the Sun, two police officers recently quizzed the murderer over a series of attacks in which the victims were also hit with a hammer, the tool Sutcliffe often used when he killed women. He also used screwdrivers and knives.
The paper said it is the first time Sutcliffe has been questioned over the attacks and claimed he will be interrogated again this month as part of a cold case review.
Among victims under consideration is Tracy Browne who, aged 14, was hit a number of times with a hammer in Silsden, West Yorkshire, in August 1975.
Tracy believes she only survived because her attacker was disturbed by a car’s headlights in a country lane.
Police are also re-examining the 1974 case of Gloria Wood, 28 — hit with a claw hammer in Bradford by a man who offered to carry her bags. She later described an attacker similar to Sutcliffe.
A source told the paper: “Two plain-clothes officers arranged to see Sutcliffe in jail. He was pretty taken aback. He said he did not know anything about any other attacks except the ones he has been convicted of. But he did agree to go through all of them in detail and said something might jog his memory, which seemed to suggest he might admit one or two. He even said he did not want the whole situation hanging over his head and was keen to clear it all up. He is convinced he is as likely to be ruled out of other attacks as to be accused.”
The source added: “They seem to be focusing on victims who survived — because they have provided descriptions and spoken about how the attacks were carried out. Also, advances in DNA technology mean he could be linked to these women, so they are the cases with a realistic chance of prosecution. It does look increasingly likely he could end up back in court on new charges, which would be sensational.”
Sutcliffe’s brother, Carl, recently said he believed his sibling was responsible for several unsolved murders.
