The niece of the Yorkshire Ripper says his ashes were scattered at a seaside beauty spot – as she reveals the terrible impact her uncle had on her life.
Peter Sutcliffe died in hospital aged 74 in November 2020 after contracting Covid following a heart attack, and reportedly refusing treatment.
The serial killer had been serving a whole-life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and the north west between 1975 and 1980.
He reportedly had hoped he would be buried near his hometown of Bingley in West Yorkshire and was cremated to prevent the destruction of his grave.
Sutcliffe’s niece Emily has said some of his ashes were scattered in the countryside village of Arnside in Cumbria – a spot he would visit as a child.
Emily told The Mirror: ‘I was taken there once or twice when I was a child. It is lovely.
The serial killer had been serving a whole-life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and the north west
Sutcliffe – pictured for the last time in public in 2015 – suffered years of ill health, and had been admitted to hospital twice in the week before his death
‘That area means a lot to the whole family. We had family living in the area at the time and would visit them.’
It comes after a friend of the serial killer said they scattered his ashes in Lanzarote to grant one of the him one of his dying wishes in August last year.
The woman – who had regularly visited the ripper in jail – claimed to have travelled to the Canary Island with his remains in an urn and tossed them into the Atlantic Ocean.
Meanwhile, Emily told of the impact her uncle had on her life.
She said: ‘When he died it felt a bit like freedom, a relief. When I looked in the mirror I saw a monster because I was convinced I looked like him.
‘When I was younger I was told I looked like my dad who has similar features to my uncle. It was so bad I wanted plastic surgery to change everything about my appearance. If I’d had the money I would have.’
Following his death more than two years ago, Sutcliffe’s ashes were said to have been buried near his hometown of Bingley, while some are thought to have been sent to twisted ‘superfans’.
The beach at Arnside, around half an hour from where some members of Sutcliffe’s family are said to live
Peter Sutcliffe pictured with his wife Sonia Woodward, who stood by her husband for 15 years
A composite of 12 of the 13 victims murdered by Sutcliffe. Victims are: (top row, left to right) Wilma McCann, Emily Jackson, Irene Richardson, Patricia Atkinson; (middle row, left to right) Jayne McDonald, Jean Jordan, Yvonne Pearson, Helen Rytka; (bottom row, left to right) Vera Millward, Josephine Whitaker, Barbara Leach, Jacqueline Hill
Police examine the common land where Josephine Whitaker was found dead on May 14, 1979 in the midst of the Ripper’s killing spree
A portion are also said to have been released into the sea at Arnside, around half an hour from where some members of his family live.
Sutcliffe was allowed to visit the village in 2005 under the supervision of Broadmoor Hospital staff to pay respects to his father.
Emily continued: ‘I remember going into school and telling my friends because I thought my uncle was famous. I didn’t understand what he’d done then.
‘Unfortunately it was the perfect age for bullying and it has scarred me.’ She said a close friend at primary school told how her parents knew one of the victims. Emily added: ‘I felt like saying ‘I’m sorry, but it wasn’t me’.
‘I was told by my family ‘you’re quiet, you’re artistic just like Uncle Peter’.
‘I was scared I was inherently bad and thought I must have evil coursing through my veins. It’s had a crazy impact on my self-esteem. I developed an eating disorder and was massively underweight from the stress of it.’
She now studies criminology and psychology and believes his crimes may have influenced her decisions to take the subjects.
Sutcliffe, under a blanket, arriving at Dewsbury Magistrates Court charged with the murder of 13 women and attempted murder of seven others in 1981
The University Hospital of North Durham, County Durham, where Peter Sutcliffe died after being admitted for covid-19 complications and heart problems
Sutcliffe was jailed for 20 years in 1981, with the sentence converted to a whole-life order in 2010.
Police interviewed him no fewer than nine times during their five-year investigation.
He often used the services of sex workers in Leeds and Bradford, targeting them.
Sutcliffe was finally pinched by police in Sheffield in 1981 for driving with false number plates.
At that point he confessed to the killings – and claimed the voice of God ordered him to commit them.
