The Yorkshire Ripper evaded cops for years, here's what had happened

Netflix’s The Ripper is a true-crime miniseries which has created a lot of buzz on social media ever since it was released. Based on the crimes that occurred in West Yorkshire and Manchester between 1975 and 1980, the show narrates the horrific tale of a serial killer who killed 13 women within a span of five years. The British serial killer had terrorised not only entire Britain but the whole world with the slurry of disturbing murders committed by him. However, the Netflix miniseries revealed that Sutcliffe could have been caught earlier but had misled the cops for years. Find out what happened.

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Peter Sutcliffe could have been caught earlier

The Netflix series features Detective Constable Andy Laptew who had looked into Peter Sutcliffe's eyes and had felt certain that he was the Yorkshire Ripper. Laptew had visited Sutcliffe’s home in July 1979 in Heaton, West Yorks. By that time 10 women had already been brutally murdered. However, three would be killed and multiple would be injured gravely after DC Laptew's suspicions were ignored by his superiors. The Yorkshire Ripper who died last month in jail had evaded the authorities for 5 years until he was caught. He passed away only last month, on November 13, at the age of 72 due to COVID-19. 

Source: Yorkshireripper.com

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Laptew’s chilling encounter with the killer

In the new Netflix documentary, The Ripper, Laptew recalls the sickening moment when he was told Sutcliffe was finally found to be the man they'd been hunting all along. Two years prior to this Laptew had come close to getting Sutcliffe caught.  Laptew was brought into the Ripper investigation in 1976, only a year after it began and when Wilma McCann was found stabbed to death near her home in Leeds. On July 29, 1979, Laptew travelled to Sutcliffe's home as part of enquiries about the ongoing Yorkshire Ripper case and had a chilling encounter with him. During Peter Sutcliffe's interview with Laptew, the killer remained composed, but Laptew instantly knew that something wasn’t right.

Source: Yorkshireripper.com

When Peter opened the door, Laptew recalled introducing himself to the killer, and then asking, ’Peter, do you, frequent prostitutes?” Laptew says Sutcliffe replied, “No, not at all, I’ve no need – I’m only recently married.” Despite Sutcliffe's seemingly innocent answer, Laptew's suspicions had not died down. In fact, he grew even more suspicious after Peter Sutcliffe's interview. Laptew recalled on the Netflix documentary that he had noticed during the interview that, Peter’s shoe size was an eight-and-a-half, which was very similar to the shoe size of the offender.

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One of the boots was quite worn on the right-hand sole, which against was a point made out on the tracks that’d been left, the footprints. However, what left Laptew more confused was the resemblance between Sutcliffe and a photofit made by police after 25-year-old Marilyn Moore, was attacked by a man believed to be the Ripper in 1977. However, Laptew’s bosses had not taken his report seriously.

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Why did Peter Sutcliffe kill?

Peter Sutcliffe’s motives were never clarified, though some people theorised that his brutal attacks on prostitutes stemmed from a bad personal experience with a sex worker. The Netflix miniseries reveals that almost every time Sutcliffe mutilated his victims with a hammer from behind before stabbing them to death. However, he was caught in 1981 and tried in court.

What happened to Peter Sutcliffe?

A report in The Sun reveals that Sutcliffe was arrested by police in 1981. He was nabbed after his car was pulled over by police when they thought his license plates may have been fake. Inside the car, they found a young woman, a sex worker who Sutcliffe had just met. Authorities also found a hidden knife and hammer. Within two days he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 concurrent life sentences. He served in jail for 40 years until his death.

Image Credits: A still from the trailer