Peter Sutcliffe: The Yorkshire Ripper

Sutcliffe was initially sent to Parkhurst prison on the Isle of Wight, but was transferred to Broadmoor secure hospital in 1984 following an attack by another Parkhurst inmate. In 1997, Sutcliffe was stabbed with a pen by another Broadmoor patient, Ian Kay, which cost him the sight in his left eye.

Despite his lack of popularity amongst fellow inmates, Sutcliffe reportedly receives considerable fan mail from female admirers. He remains at Broadmoor secure hospital.

Recent European legislation, outlawing the ability of Home Secretaries to impose “whole life” tariffs, means that Sutcliffe may be eligible for parole in May 2011. However, public opinion and media interest make this unlikely; in January 2005 he was allowed out of Broadmoor briefly to visit his father’s grave, which provoked a huge media outcry.

On 20 October 2005, a former security guard, John Humble, was arrested and charged with perverting the course of justice by sending two letters and a tape recording that led to the hunt for the Ripper hoaxer, “Wearside Jack”. More sophisticated DNA profiling has enabled experts to match his DNA, from a motoring offence, to saliva taken from one of the envelopes containing the hoax letter sent in 1978. In March 2006, Humble was jailed for eight years at Leeds Crown Court.