Yorkshire Ripper's 13 victims – as ITV drama The Long Shadow hits TV

Yorkshire Ripper's 13 victims – as ITV drama The Long Shadow hits TV

September 24, 2023

The Yorkshire Ripper Files: A forensic look at the 13 victims slaughtered by Peter Sutcliffe in his five-year reign of terror – ahead of new ITV drama The Long Shadow

  • Wilma McCann was the first of 13 women to be murdered by Peter Sutcliffe, she died in October 1975
  • His youngest victim was 16-year-old Jayne MacDonald who was murdered June 1977 while on her way home
  • The lives of the victims are portrayed in new ITV drama The Long Shadow, which begins airing on Monday

They were the women whose lives were tragically cut short by the most notorious serial killer in modern British history.

Wilma McCann was the first of 13 women to be murdered by Peter Sutcliffe, the monster who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper. 

After killing mother-of-four Wilma in October 1975, Sutcliffe’s other victims included 16-year-old Jayne MacDonald in June 1977 and sex worker Helen Rytka, who was just 18. 

He was convicted of the attempted murder of a further seven women who survived his attacks.  

Sutcliffe was finally caught in 1981 after being stopped by police while driving his car with false number plates.

Now, as the Long Shadow – the new ITV drama about the Ripper’s killing spree – begins airing, MailOnline reveals what happened to each of the women who were murdered. 

Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe murdered 13 women between 1975 and 1980. He was finally caught in January 1981. Above: The ripper leaving court in 1983 after giving evidence against a man who was accused of attacking him in prison 


New ITV drama The Long Shadow focuses on the Ripper’s victims. Above: Gemma Laurie as Wilma McCann (left) and Katherine Kelly  as Emily Jackson

Wilma McCann – October 30, 1975

Wilma McCann was the first woman to be murdered by Sutcliffe – she was a 28-year-old mother-of-four from Scott Hall Avenue in Leeds.

By then, four women – including Anna Rogulskyj, Olive Smelt and Tracy Browne – had already been attacked. 

Wilma, a sex worker, was attacked and brutally murdered just 100 yards away from her house on October 30, 1975.

Sutcliffe hit her with a hammer and stabbed her 15 times in the chest, neck and abdomen. Her body was found in Prince Philip Playing fields. 

On the night of October 29, McCann had said goodnight to her children and then headed out drinking. 

She was seen at four pubs – including the Regent and White Sawn – drinking whiskies an beer. 

Later in the evening, she ended up at a drinking club, where she continued consuming alcohol.

Having left the club very drunk after 1am, she staggered around looking for a lift home and was seen by Sutcliffe, who stopped his car and picked her up. 

The sex worker was attacked and brutally murdered just 100 yards away from her house on October 30, 1975. Sutcliffe hit her with a hammer and stabbed her 15 times in the chest, neck and abdomen. Her body was found in Prince Philip Playing fields. Above: The site where Wilma’s body was found

Police search for Wilma McCann, the Yorkshire Ripper’s first victim

He parked his car near Prince Philip Playing fields and, after suggesting that they have sex on the grass, attacked and killed her.

Sutcliffe then carried on life as normal with his wife Sonia. 

He would go on to tell police: ‘After that first time I developed and played up a hatred for prostitutes in order to justify within myself a reason why I had attacked and killed Wilma McCann.’ 

Speaking in 2020, Wilma’s son Richard criticised the way police had described his mother and some of Sutcliffe’s other victims. 

‘My mum was more than just a “good time girl” or a “woman of loose morals”, as she was described by the police,’ he said in a video. 

‘I hate the things that they said about some of the women, including my mum. 

It’s like they seem to forget the person behind that black and white mugshot that I hated for years.’

Wilma McCann was the first of Peter Sutcliffe’s victims – she was a 28-year-old mother-of-four from Scott Hall Avenue in Leeds

Wilma McCann’s children. From left to right: Richard (then five), Sonje (then seven), Angela (three), and Donna (four)

Emily Jackson – January 20, 1976

Emily Jackson was from Morley in Leeds.

The 42-year-old, a part-time sex worker, died after being stabbed 52 times.

Sutcliffe had picked her up outside the Gaiety pub on Roundhay Road, where she was soliciting for business.

After Emily had told him an encounter would cost £5, he drove on Roundhay Road to a derelict patch of land.

Emily Jackson was from Morley in Leeds. The 42-year-old, a part-time sex worker, died after being stabbed 52 times

He then stopped his car and pretended it wouldn’t start. 

As she tried to help him by holding her lighter while he looked under the bonnet, he battered her twice with a hammer.

He then dragged her body into a yard and used a screwdriver to viciously stab her.

Her body was found on nearby Manor Street by a workman on the morning of January 21.

Sutcliffe would later tell police: ‘At that time I had a feeling of satisfaction and justification for what I’d done. 

‘I found that I didn’t have any blood on my clothes which I could see, so I had no need to dispose of them.’

Derelict buildings on Manor Street, Leeds, where the body of Emily Jackson was found

Emily Jackson was stabbed repeatedly with a screwdriver by Peter Sutcliffe 

Irene Richardson – February 5, 1977 

Irene Richardson, 28, was the third woman to be murdered by Sutcliffe. She was killed on February 5, 1977.

Irene, a mother-of-three, was a sex worker from Chapeltown in Leeds.

At around 11.15pm on the night of February 5, she left her lodgings in a rooming house.

She was spotted by Sutcliffe near the Gaiety pub. He stopped his car a few yards ahead of her and she jumped in without saying a word. 

Irene Richardson, 28, was the third woman to be murdered by Sutcliffe. She was killed on February 5, 1977

The Ripper drove a mile along Roundhay Road into Roundhay Park and continued onto Soldier’s Field.

This was where he had attacked Marcella Claxton, who survived her ordeal. 

With Irene wanting to use the bathroom, the Ripper stopped his car near the toilets on Soldier’s Field.

But, finding them locked, she decided to urinate on the grass. As she crouched down, Sutcliffe struck her three times with his hammer.

He then tore open her jacket and blouse and stabbed and slashed her with his Stanley knife.

Her body was found by a jogger at around 7.30am the next day. 

Sutcliffe’s car had left tire marks which police would later discover. 

Her body was found by a jogger at around 7.30am the next day. Above: Police at the murder scene

Irene, a mother-of-three, was a sex worker from Chapeltown in Leeds. She was murdered in Leeds

Patricia Atkinson – April 24, 1977

Mother-of-three Patricia Atkinson, 32, was killed inside her own flat on Oak Avenue in Bradford.

It marked Sutcliffe’s first murder in his home town.

On the evening of April 23, she had left her home to go drinking, initially in the Perseverance pub on Lumb Lane.

Mother-of-three Patricia Atkinson, 32, was killed inside her own flat on Oak Avenue in Bradford. It marked Sutcliffe’s first murder in his home town

Sutcliffe picked Patricia up after she had been drinking Bradford. He drove her back to her flat (above)

After getting very drunk, she left and headed to the nearby Carlisle pub to carry on drinking.

Having left the second venue, she was picked up by Sutcliffe after being seen staggering around.

He drove her back to her flat and followed her inside after retrieving a claw hammer from his car. 

Sutcliffe hit her four times on the back of the head with the hammer and stabbed her six times. 

He then threw bed linen over the top of her body, which was found by a male friend the next evening. 

A bloody boot print found at the scene would confirm to police it was the same man who had carried out Emily Jackson’s murder. 

Patricia’s flat still stands today but is now derelict. Photos taken by an urban explorer in 2021 showed how the whole apartment block is battered and partially burnt out.  

Mother-of-three Patricia Atkinson was the Ripper’s fourth victim. She died horrifically inside her own flat

The interior of Patricia Atkinson’s flat, where she was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe

Patricia’s flat still stands today but is now derelict. Photos taken by an urban explorer in 2021 showed how the whole apartment block is battered and partially burnt out

Jayne MacDonald – June 26, 1977

Jayne MacDonald was just 16 years old when she was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe.

She was a shop assistant who had recently left school.

She was on her way home from a night out dancing with her friends, when she was killed on June 26, 1977.

Sutcliffe had spotted her as she was walking down Chapeltown Road in the early hours of the morning. 

Jayne MacDonald was just 16 years old when she was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe. She was a shop assistant who had recently left school

After parking up and watching her for a few minutes, he decided she must be a prostitute.

As she neared an adventure playground, he attacked and killed her using a hammer and a knife.

He then dragged her to the corner of the play area, hit her again with the hammer and then stabbed her in the chest and back. 

Jayne’s body was found by two children at around 9.45am that morning.  

Jayne’s death caused a media sensation as she was the first victim who was not a known sex worker.

Three years later, when Sutcliffe was still at large, Jane’s mother Irene addressed the women in the murderer’s life and urged them to turn him in.

She said: ‘I dare them to turn him in. This man is a coward, but the biggest coward of them all is the person shielding him.

Commander Jim Nevill of Scotland Yard with Yorkshire detectives Joe Bolton and Jim Hobson at the scene where murder victim Jayne MacDonald was discovered

‘It is his mother, wife, sister or indeed a male, they should put themselves in the position of we women who have lost someone they loved. 

‘It makes my stomach churn to think that someone is saving his neck.’   

Sutcliffe’s wife, Sonia, later stood by her husband even after he had been caught an unmasked. 

She continued to visit him in prison and when he he had been sent to Broadmoor hospital.  

The pair ultimately divorced in 1994 after 20 years of marriage.

Jayne McDonald was just 16 years old when she was murdered by Peter Sutcliffe

Jean Jordan – October 1, 1977

Jean Jordan was the sixth woman to die at the hands of Sutcliffe. 

The 20-year-old sex worker, who had moved from Scotland, was the Ripper’s first victim in Manchester. 

He beat the young mother-of-two 11 times with a hammer in allotments next to Southern Cemetery in the south of the city.

He then dumped her body and threw her bag – containing a brand new £5 note he gave her for a sexual encounter – into nearby shrubs.

Police found the bag and traced the serial number on the note back to the payroll of Yorkshire hauliers T and W H Clark, where Sutcliffe worked.

But when questioned by officers he provided an alibi that he was at a party.

Jean Jordan was the sixth woman to die at the hands of Sutcliffe. The 20-year-old sex worker, who had moved from Scotland, was the Ripper’s first victim in Manchester

Police ultimately interviewed Sutcliffe about the banknote three times, but each time discounted him as a suspect. 

Eight days later, her body was found by future Coronation Street star Bruce Jones.

She had been decapitated, with her intestines wrapped around her waist. 

It later emerged that, having realised the note could incriminate him, Sutcliffe had returned to retrieve it. 

But after finding her body, which still lay undiscovered where he had left it, the killer became frustrated when he could not see the note.

Furious at being unable to find it, Sutcliffe mutilated Jane’s corpse and then dragged it into a more open position so it would be found. 

It was then discovered by Mr Jones, who went on to play Les Battersby on Coronation Street.

The £5 note was found to be in a side pocket of Jean’s handbag. 

Yvonne Pearson – January 21, 1978 

Yvonne Pearson was a 21-year-old prostitute from Leeds who was murdered in Bradford by Sutcliffe on January 21, 1978.

She was the seventh woman to be murdered by the killer.

Yvonne was a mother of two young children, Colette aged two and Lorraine aged five months.

They were being looked after by a neighbour at the time of their mother’s murder.

Sutcliffe encountered Yvonne after nearly crashing into a car that had backed out of a side street as he was driving. 

Yvonne Pearson was a 21-year-old prostitute from Leeds who was murdered in Bradford by Sutcliffe on January 21, 1978

She was the seventh woman to be murdered by the killer. Yvonne was a mother of two young children, Colette aged two and Lorraine aged five months 

After braking, a young woman tapped on his passenger window. Having asked her where she had come from, Yvonne told him: ‘Just good timing. You can put it down to fate.’

The pair agreed a price of £5 and Sutcliffe then drove them to a piece of waste ground around the back of the mill where his father worked.

After she had gotten out of the car, Sutcliffe hit her with a hammer.

Another car then appeared and pulled in close by. Sutcliffe dragged Yvonne behind an old sofa and, to stop her from moaning, grabbed handfuls of horsehair from it and stuffed it down her throat. 

After waiting for the other car to depart, he attacked Yvonne again. He kicked her in the head and jumped on her chest. 

He then hid her body by throwing soil, rubble and turf over it, before covering the whole scene with the sofa.  

Yvonne’s body was not found until March 26, 1978.

Helen Rytka – January 18, 1978 

Helen Rytka was an 18-year-old sex worker from Huddersfield – she was Sutcliffe’s eighth victim.

She was killed in Huddersfield on January 31, 1978, less than a fortnight after the death of Yvonne Pearson.

Helen had been out in Huddersfield’s red light district with her twin sister Rita, who was also a sex worker.

The teenager saw one client first and then arrived back at the spot where she had agreed to rendezvous with her sister. 

She was then spotted by Sutcliffe, who convinced her to have a liaison.

He drove to the nearby Garrards timber yard and the pair then agreed to have sex in the back of the car. 

Helen Rytka was an 18-year-old sex worker from Huddersfield – she was Sutcliffe’s eighth victim

As she was climbing in to the back, Sutcliffe tried to strike her with his hammer, but the blow largely hit the top of the car.

Helen thought he had hit her with his hand. Now terrified, she asked him ‘what was that?,’ and he then hit her hard with his hammer.

He then dragged her to the end of the wood yard and raped her. She was the only one of his victims who he had sex with.

Helen then staggered to her feet and started walking towards the car. Sutcliffe hit her on the back of the head with his hammer.

He then grabbed a knife and stabbed her several times through the heart and lungs before hiding her body behind a stack of timber.

Helen’s body was found by a police dog on February 3 after her sister had informed police of what the pair had been doing on the night she went missing. 

Vera Millward – May 16, 1978

Vera Millward, a 40-year-old sex worker from Hulme, Manchester, was killed on May 16, 1978. 

She was a mother to seven children and was the ninth of person to die at the hands of Sutcliffe.

Vera had a history of ill health and had only one lung, after undergoing a number of operations in the years leading up to her death. 

The night she died, she told her boyfriend she was going out to buy cigarettes. 

Vera Millward, a 40-year-old sex worker from Hulme, Manchester, was killed on May 16, 1978

When her usual client on that day of the week failed to show in Greenham Avenue, Vera decided to wait for a random encounter.

Sutcliffe was the first man to come along. He drove her to Manchester Royal Infirmary and stopped in a quiet parking compound.

After they had gotten out of the car, Sutcliffe attacked her with a hammer.

Vera tried to fight him off but continued hitting her until she was dead. He then stabbed her.

Her body was found at around 8am the next morning by workers who had arrived to do gardening at the hospital. 

Josephine Whitaker – April 4, 1979  

Josephine Whitaker was Sutcliffe’s 10th victim – she was just 19 years old when she was murdered on April 4, 1979.

The teenage building society clerk was walking home from her grandparents’ house in Halifax after deciding not to stay overnight because she had work early in the morning.

She was attacked and killed by Sutcliffe in Savile Park Moor in Halifax, after the pair had started chatting.

Sutcliffe had been out drinking with a friend on the night he attacked Josephine.

Instead of heading home after dropping his friend off, he began cruising in his car.

Josephine Whitaker was Sutcliffe’s 10th victim – she was just 19 years old when she was murdered on April 4, 1979

After several circuits of Savile Park, Sutcliffe spotted Josephine walking alone.

He put a hammer and a rusty, sharpened screwdriver into his pocket and approached her. 

The pair walked together and passed a man who would later describe Sutcliffe’s appearance.

After asking Josephine the time, Sutcliffe dropped back behind her and then hit her over the head.

He then dragged her into the darkness away from the nearby main road and narrowly avoided being seen by two people passing by.

She was still moaning when Sutcliffe repeatedly stabbed her with his screwdriver and killed her. 

The bundle that was Josephine’s body was spotted the following day by a passing bus driver. 

A woman who was waiting for a bus approached the bundle and, when she was it was actually the body of a woman, ran home and called the police. 

Boot prints were found at the scene which matched those discovered at the murders of Emily Jackson and Patricia Atkinson.  

Josephine was attacked and killed by Sutcliffe in Savile Park Moor in Halifax, after the pair had started chatting. Above: Police at the scene of Josephine’s body 

Barbara Leach – September 20, 1979

The 11th woman to be murdered by the Ripper was Barbara Leach, a 20-year-old Bradford University student.

She studied social psychology and was about to enter her final year when she was killed on September 1, 1979.

She was murdered by Sutcliffe as she was walking home from a night out and was stabbed just yards away from her back door.

The 11th woman to be murdered by the Ripper was Barbara Leach, a 20-year-old Bradford University student

The student was hit over the head with a hammer and stabbed eight times with the same screwdriver Sutcliffe had used on Josephine Whitaker

Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Gilrain holds a poster appealing for information following the murder of Barbara Leach

He spotted her while driving in Bradford and opened the car door to get out as she was walking towards him. 

The student was hit over the head with a hammer and stabbed eight times with the same screwdriver Sutcliffe had used on Josephine Whitaker. 

He then placed her body in a distorted jack-knife position behind a low wall into an area where dustbins were usually kept, covering her body with an old piece of carpet and some stones. 

Barbara’s roommates were concerned when she had not returned home the next day and proceeded to call the police. 

Police are seen searching for clues close to where Barbara Leach was murdered

Marguerite Walls – August 20, 1980 

Marguerite Walls was Sutcliffe’s 12th victim – she was a 47-year-old civil servant from Leeds.

She worked in the Department of Education and Science office in Pudsey. 

Marguerite was due to go on holiday the day after she died and had been working late to prepare for her time off.

Marguerite Walls was Sutcliffe’s 12th victim – she was a 47-year-old civil servant from Leeds

She was walking to her home in Farsley, Leeds, when Sutcliffe spotted her.

He parked his car and followed her before yelling ‘filthy prostitute’ as he attacked her with a hammer and then strangled her.

He proceeded to strip her of all her clothes except her tights before partially covering her body with grass cuttings and leaves.  

Her body was found in the garden of a house nearby.

At the time of the attack, Sutcliffe was awaiting trial after being arrested for drink driving.

The shaded spot in the back garden of the home where Marguerite Walls’s body was found

Marguerite Walls was Sutcliffe’s 12th victim – she was a 47-year-old civil servant from Leeds

Jacqueline Hill – November 17, 1980

Jacqueline Hill, 20, was Peter Sutcliffe’s last victim. She was the 13th woman to be murdered by him. 

She was a 20-year-old student at Leeds University, where she was studying English.

The young woman also worked as a Sunday school teacher.

Jacqueline Hill, 20, was Peter Sutcliffe’s last victim. She was the 13th woman to be murdered by him

The student was killed in Headingley, Leeds on November 17, 1980.

Sutcliffe saw her get off a bus and followed her before attacking and killing her.

She had been attending a meeting with probation service workers, having applied to become a volunteer.  

Her body was found the next day 100 yards from where she lived on wasteland near the Arndale Centre, a shopping area. 

She had suffered four skull fractures and cuts to her head, a stab wound to her left breast and a stab wound to her right eye. 

Her body was found 100 yards from where she lived on wasteland near the Arndale Centre, a shopping area. Above: The site where she was found

Sutcliffe later told police how Jacqueline appeared to be looking at him with an ‘accusing stare’ as he attacked her. 

‘This shook me up a bit, I jabbed the screwdriver into her eye but they stayed open, and I felt worse than ever,’ he said. 

‘I left her lying on her back with her feet towards the entrance. I think she was dead when I left.’ 

A plaque installed near where she died by women’s group the Leeds Spinners, reads: ‘Sister, daughter, housemate, friend, fiancée, gentle and caring person, lovely kind girl, endearingly silly sense of humour, funny, clever, English student, Sunday School teacher, probation service volunteer, brought only goodness to the world, she was everything people wanted their daughter to be. Silver Girl.’

Jacqueline Hill, 20, was Peter Sutcliffe’s last victim. She was the 13th woman to be murdered by him

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