British serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, who was serving life sentence, has died of Covid-19 complications aged 74.
A statement from UK’s Ministry of Justice said on Friday that Sutcliffe died at University Hospital of North Durham, some 4.8km from where he was being incarcerated.
“HMP (Her Majesty’s Prison) Frankland prisoner Peter Coonan (born Sutcliffe) died in hospital on 13 November. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed,” a Prison Service spokesperson said.
The serial killer was admitted at the facility after he contracted Coronavirus, Sutcliffe reportedly refused treatment for the virus.
He also had a number of underlying health problems, including diabetes and heart issues. Sutcliffe’s admission to the hospital came two weeks after he had been treated there for a suspected heart attack.
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Sutcliffe was convicted in 1981 for murdering 13 women and attempting to murder 7 others during a reign of terror in northern England between 1975 and 1980.
UK media nicknamed Sutcliffe the “Yorkshire Ripper” as he was the most notorious serial killer in the country at the time.
Sutcliffe worked as a truck driver and grave digger. He carried out his first killing in October 1975, less than a year after he married.
His first victim was 28-year-old Wilma McCann, a mother-of-four and sex worker. She was battered with a hammer and repeatedly stabbed.
The serial killer was arrested in January 1981 after police stopped the car he was driving, having found the number plates were stolen. He had picked up sex worker Olivia Reivers as a passenger. Detectives later found a hammer and knife nearby.
During his interrogation, Sutcliffe told police that he developed and played up a hatred for prostitutes in order to justify within himself a reason why he attacked and killed women.
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