Uploaded August 2020 | Updated September 2026, 33 minutes ago
For 6 years, British police searched for the so-called 'Yorkshire Ripper' as he savagely attacked at least 20 women between 1975 and 1980, killing at least 13. On numerous occasions, the police had unknowingly come into contact with the killer, but a malicious hoaxer and police incompetence would lead them down the wrong road. It was not until 1981 that a chance encounter and a routine police check finally caught the Yorkshire Ripper and put an end to his rampage
Note that this program was made in 1992:
1) Peter Sutcliffe died on 13 November 2020, while still serving his life sentence.
2) The malicious hoaxer 'Wearside Jack', who misled the police with his Geordie accent for a year, was finally caught in 2005 using DNA evidence from his letters and unmasked as John Samuel Humble. He served four years in prison, and died on 30 July 2019.
One minor inaccuracy: Helen Rytka was 18 years old, not 19.
This is the full length version of the episode. Previous uploads are TV recordings with about 3 minutes of footage missing.
For 6 years, British police searched for the so-called 'Yorkshire Ripper' as he savagely attacked at least 20 women between 1975 and 1980, killing at least 13. On numerous occasions, the police had unknowingly come into contact with the killer, but a malicious hoaxer and police incompetence would lead them down the wrong road. It was not until 1981 that a chance encounter and a routine police check finally caught the Yorkshire Ripper and put an end to his rampage
Note that this program was made in 1992:
1) Peter Sutcliffe died on 13 November 2020, while still serving his life sentence.
2) The malicious hoaxer 'Wearside Jack', who misled the police with his Geordie accent for a year, was finally caught in 2005 using DNA evidence from his letters and unmasked as John Samuel Humble. He served four years in prison, and died on 30 July 2019.
One minor inaccuracy: Helen Rytka was 18 years old, not 19.
This is the full length version of the episode. Previous uploads are TV recordings with about 3 minutes of footage missing.
