Criminal Sentences

Bingo! Special 45th Anniversary Audioblog

This weekend marks the 45-year anniversary of Peter Sutcliffe’s arrest, ending his reign of terror over women in the North of England. Senior ranking officers took all the glory, but the real heroes were just two hard-working Bobbies, out on their rounds.

This audioblog is in celebration of them. Listen now.

Finding Wendy

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During my research for The Odd Female blog series, I became acquainted with so many women who are an unfortunate part of this awful story. But, due to the fact that I currently live in Derbyshire, one of the women in particular, piqued my interest. Her name was Wendy Sewell.

Bingo

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On 2nd January 1981, Peter Sutcliffe was apprehended in Sheffield. The arresting officers had no prior involvement in the case, but their instincts and integrity brought the biggest murder hunt in British criminal history to its final conclusion.

Innocent Victims

In the early hours of Sunday 26 June 1977, Peter Sutcliffe took the life of 16-year-old schoolgirl Jayne MacDonald, who had been walking home in the Chapeltown district of Leeds, after a Saturday night out with friends. Her mutilated body was discovered by children in a playground just before 10am the same morning.

Apathy

In the early hours of Sunday 2nd September 1979, 20-year-old student Barbara Leach, pictured, was brutally murdered and dumped in a Bradford alleyway by Peter Sutcliffe. By now, Sutcliffe had eluded capture since his first officially acknowledged victim, Wilma McCann, in 1975.

The Moniker Part 2

Following on from Part 1 we continue to examine the significant damage a seemingly harmless nickname can do to a case and its victims.

The Moniker Part 1

Sensationalist spin, glorified untruths, and life-destroying headlines – sadly, all part of our societal fabric thanks to the British mainstream media. We are so used to it, most of us are immune, but what happens when the bold headlines go from simply causing shockwaves and drama, to being directly responsible for death, or even multiple deaths? Well, nothing, apparently.

Case Notes

Before you embark on The Odd Female blog series, you may find this summary of case highlights helpful. When I say ‘highlights’, I mean ‘cock-ups’.