Do you remember when serial killer Peter Sutcliffe was arrested on a winter night in Sheffield almost 40 years ago?

While none of his crimes were committed in Sheffield, the city will forever be associated with the most notorious killer in British criminal history.
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For it was in the Broomhill area that Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was arrested on January 2, 1981 for driving a vehicle with false plates.

And with him was a 24-year-old prostitute - likely to have become his latest victim a and the first from the city.

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Although women have subsequently spoken out, describing near misses with a man matching Sutcliffe's appearance in Sheffield in the years prior to his arrest.

Peter Sutcliffe pictured at his trialPeter Sutcliffe pictured at his trial
Peter Sutcliffe pictured at his trial

He was transferred to Dewsbury to be interviewed by detectives, as he matched many of the characteristics of the man responsible for 13 murders and a similar number of attacks where his victims somehow survived.

A hammer, knife and rope were discovered by police close to the scene of his arrest the following day - Sutcliffe had told police he needed to urinate and had disappeared into the bushes. A second knife was discovered in a police station toilet, which Sutcliffe had stashed before he was searched.

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During the subsequent search, he was discovered to be wearing an upside-down v-neck jumper under his trousers which left his genitals exposed, and padding on his elbows.

Under a blanket, Sutcliffe being taken to Dewsbury Magistrates' Court in January 1981 to be charged with murderUnder a blanket, Sutcliffe being taken to Dewsbury Magistrates' Court in January 1981 to be charged with murder
Under a blanket, Sutcliffe being taken to Dewsbury Magistrates' Court in January 1981 to be charged with murder
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His arrest came around six weeks after his final murder, where he killed Leeds University student on November 17, 1980 - one of two murders that year and three more attacks, one while he was awaiting a court date on a drink-driving charge.

It has never really become clear why Sutcliffe had switched hunting grounds - apart from two in Manchester, all of his other victims had come from West Yorkshire. Perhaps he felt the heat of the vast police investigation getting nearer. But thankfully, thanks to the sharp eyes of a young probationary police officer in South Yorkshire, the Ripper’s five-year killing spree was brought to an end.

Initially sentenced to 20 life sentences, the judge initially recommended that Sutcliffe should serve at least 30 years, meaning that he could have been released as early as 2011. But thankfully, the Home Secretary later issued him with a whole life order, meaning he will never be freed.

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