Yorkshire Ripper victims: Who were the victims of the British serial killer?

Netflix released The Ripper, a true-crime mini-series based on the heinous crime committed by British serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, also known as The Yorkshire Ripper. UK's most notorious serial killer Sutcliffe was caught in January 1981 but he had been terrorising, assaulting and killing women for five years by then. Only a few of his victims who were able to escape his clutches, helped the authorities to get him behind the bars. Read on to find out more about Yorkshire Ripper victims.

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How many victims did the Yorkshire Ripper have?

When the Yorkshire Ripper was caught in 1981 he had already brutally murdered 13 women by then and had severely injured another seven. His killing spree lasted from 1975 until 1980 and had left many women across England and especially in the town of Yorkshire, fearful about leaving their homes. A report on YorkshireRipper.com revealed the identity of his victims. 

Please note that this story contains graphic descriptions of violence. Reader discretion is advised.

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Who were the Yorkshire Ripper victims?

Wilma McCann (28)

The first woman to lose her life to Sutcliffe’s brutality was a 28-year-old mother of four from Scott Hall in Leeds. The report on yorkshireripper.com reveals that Sutcliffe struck her twice with a hammer before stabbing her 15 times in the neck, chest and abdomen. McCann’s death took a toll on one of her daughter, who died in 2007 by suicide after battling years of depression.

Emily Jackson (42)

Sutcliffe committed his second murder in Leeds in the January of 1976. This time he stabbed 42-year-old Emily Jackson 52 times. Jackson was living in financially challenging conditions and had been using the family van, with her husband's agreement and support, to exchange sexual favours for money. Sutcliffe hit her on the head with a hammer and knocked her unconscious and then dragged her body into a rubbish-strewn yard. The killer then used a sharpened screwdriver to stab her in the neck, chest and abdomen.

Irene Richardson (28)

YorskshireRipper.com reveals that Peter’s third victim was 28 years old Irene Richardson, a Chapeltown sex worker. When the authorities found their bodies, it was revealed that Richardson was bludgeoned to death with a hammer. Cops also found tire tracks at the crime scene, thus resulting in a long list of possible suspect vehicles.

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Patricia Atkinson (32)

Atkinson was a 32-year-old sex worker from Bradford. She was killed on April 23, 1977. Sutcliffe murdered her in her own flat, where police later found a bootprint on her bedclothes. 

Jayne McDonald (16)

Sutcliffe’s youngest victim was a 16-year-old girl from Chapeltown. Up until this point authorities had been under the impression that the Yorkshire Ripper was only targeting sex workers, but McDonald was not a sex worker. Her gruesome murder shocked and terrorised the town, as this proved that no woman was safe in the town anymore.

Jean Jordan (20)

20-year-old Jordan was murdered on October 1, 1977. She was a sex worker from Manchester. In a later confession, Sutcliffe revealed that he had realised the new £5 note he had given her was traceable. After committing the monstrous act he went on to host a family party at his new home and returned to the wasteland behind Manchester's Southern Cemetery later, where he had left the body, to retrieve the note. However, when he was unable to find it, he mutilated Jordan's corpse and moved it. The authorities later found the £5 note, hidden in a secret compartment in Jordan's handbag.

Yvonne Pearson (21)

Sutcliffe's next victim was Yvonne Pearson, who was a 21-year-old prostitute from Bradford. Sutcliffe brutally murdered her on January 21, 1978. Authorities later found that Sutcliffe had then jumped on her chest before stuffing horse-hair into her mouth from a discarded sofa under which he hid her body near Lumb Lane. Pearson’s body was found almost 2 months later on March 26, 1978.

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Helen Rytka (18)

Rytka, an 18-year-old sex worker from Huddersfield was another one of Sutcliffe’s younger victims. Rytka’s body was found three days later beneath railway arches in Garrards timber-yard, which was the exact location where he had committed the murder. The authorities later found that Sutcliffe had struck Rytka on the head five times as she exited his vehicle. 

Vera Millward (40)

Vera Millward was killed on May 16, 1978. The cops found her body on the grounds of Manchester Royal Infirmary. Like many of Sutcliffe’s victims, whether Millward was a sex worker or not has not been confirmed yet.

Josephine Whitaker (19)

By the time Whitaker came in contact with Sutcliffe, entire England had been terrorised by the serial killer for four years. On April 4, 1979, Sutcliffe killed 19-year-old Josephine Whitaker. Whitaker was a building society clerk on Savile Park Moor in Halifax. She was attacked when she was walking home from work.

Barbara Leach (20)

Leach was a 20-year-old University student when she was murdered by Sutcliffe on September 1, 1979. Her body was dumped at the rear of 13 Ashgrove under a pile of bricks. The location was close to the university and her lodgings.  

Marguerite Walls (47)

In April 1980, Sutcliffe was arrested for drunk driving. However, while awaiting trial, he killed two more women, one of whom was 47-year-old Marguerite Walls. He brutalised and killed Walls on the night of August 20, 1980. Her body was found in the garden of a house in New Street, Farsley, Leeds. 

Jacqueline Hill (20)

Sutcliffe murdered 20-year-old Jacqueline Hill, a student at Leeds University. Hill was his last victim. He killed her on the night of November 17, 1980. The authorities found Hill's body on wasteland near the Arndale Centre.

What happened to the Yorkshire Ripper once he was caught?

When Sutcliffe was caught by the police, he was sentenced to 20 concurrent life sentences. After serving 40 years in prison, Peter Sutcliffe died on November 13, 2020, after contracting COVID-19. The report in The Sun reveals that the 72-year-old had refused treatment and was also suffering from underlying conditions such as pneumonia, diabetes, and heart disease. Peter's ashes were reportedly given to his brother Mick Sutcliffe, who is 70 and also suffers from lung disease.

Images Source: yorkshireripper.com