Yorkshire Ripper survivor celebrates life with art

Mo Lea said moths "are a metaphor for change, growth and transition, and a symbol of rebirth"

A woman who is believed to have survived an attack from the Yorkshire Ripper says she "celebrates life to the full through my artwork".

Mo Lea was an art student in Leeds in 1980 when she was attacked by a man with a hammer believed to be Peter Sutcliffe.

The 66-year-old is staging an exhibition of large drawings of moths in her hometown of Bedford, which has been supported by Queen Camilla.

The title is called eclipse, the term used for a group of moths, as she said she wants her artwork to eclipse the story despite it being "very difficult to do that".

"I want people to come and see things that maybe they are fearful of that are actually quite beautiful," she explained.

Contributions from sales of prints will go to The Centre for Women's Justice.

"We all know that West Yorkshire Police did not do their job properly and a lot of women in my shoes did not get justice," she said.

The exhibition at St Paul's church in Bedford has been endorsed by Queen Camilla

Lea wrote to the Queen, who is an advocate for ending violence against young women and girls, and explained what she was doing.

She was "thrilled" with her response, in which the Queen wished her "every success".

"[It] was a seal of approval for what I was trying to achieve," said Lea.

"I have turned around a traumatic event to help others and that is my agenda now with the exhibition as well."

The exhibition of the large drawings of moths marks 45 years to the day Mo Lea was attacked by the Yorkshire Ripper

Lea said she was followed by a man she did not know on 25 October 1980.

She started to run away "but before I could do anything I felt a blow to the top of my head and fell to the floor where I was badly attacked by a hammer and a screwdriver".

She screamed out, which was heard by people nearby, and which "fortunately scared Peter Sutcliffe off otherwise I think he was in for his final blow".

She regained consciousness in hospital and spent her 21st birthday in intensive care.

Lea recognised Sutcliffe from images on television, but said she did not admit her suspicions for many years.

He never admitted to the attack on Lea, but she was named in redacted parts of the Byford Report which examined the West Yorkshire Police inquiry.

She believes she is lucky to be alive and "I am celebrating that".

The serial killer was jailed for murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven more. He died in 2020 at the age of 74.

West Yorkshire Police has since apologised for the "language, tone and terminology" it used when describing some of Sutcliffe's victims.

The Byford Report also detailed how detectives made "major errors of judgement" during the five years it took to apprehend him.

Lea's exhibition begins on Saturday at St Paul's church in Bedford and runs for a week.