Victims and the families of those affected by Peter Sutcliffe are at the forefront of West Yorkshire Police's thoughts after the news of his death, the county's Chief Constable has said.

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It was announced earlier that Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, has died in hospital aged 74.

He was serving a whole life term for murdering 13 woman across Yorkshire and north-west England between 1975 and 1980.

In a statement, Ch Con John Robins, from West Yorkshire Police, said: "I am sure the news of his death will bring back a range of mixed emotions and trauma for surviving victims and relatives of those whose lives he cruelly took away.

"Those who died and were assaulted, as well as those relatives who are still suffering today, are at the forefront of our thoughts and our condolences."

The largest ever investigation by a UK police force was undertaken into the 13 murders carried out by Sutcliffe, as well as attacks on seven other women.

Ch Con Robins said "lessons have been learned" from the force's much-criticised handling of the investigation.

He said: "The 1981 report by Sir Lawrence Byford and a subsequent review conducted by former West Yorkshire Police chief constable Colin Sampson identified the extensive efforts made by the inquiry team, as well as what clearly went wrong.

"Failings and mistakes that were made are fully acknowledged and documented," he added.

A total of 13 women were murdered by Peter Sutcliffe, the man who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper, who has died aged 74.

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Sutcliffe was serving a whole-life tariff for those murders, which took place across Yorkshire and the North West between 1975 and 1980.

He avoided detection for years due to a series of missed opportunities by police and only eventually confessed in 1981 after he was caught in Sheffield.

In May 1981, he was jailed for 20 life terms at the Old Bailey, with the judge recommending a minimum sentence of 30 years.

Sutcliffe's victims were:

• Wilma McCann, 28, Leeds, October 1975
• Emily Jackson, 42, Leeds, January 1976
• Irene Richardson, 28, Leeds, February 1977
• Patricia Atkinson, 32, Bradford, April 1977
• Jayne McDonald, 16, Leeds, June 1977
• Jean Jordan, 21, Manchester, October 1977
• Yvonne Pearson, 22, Bradford, January 1978
• Helen Rytka, 18, Huddersfield, January 1978
• Vera Millward, 41, Manchester, May 1978
• Josephine Whittaker, 19, Halifax, May 1979
• Barbara Leach, 20, Bradford, September 1979
• Marguerite Walls, 47, Leeds, August 1980
• Jacqueline Hill, 20, Leeds, November 1980

Sutcliffe also brutally attacked at least seven more women, who survived.

A former policeman who worked on the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper has given his reaction to the news that Peter Sutcliffe has died aged 74.

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The serial killer was serving a whole life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and north-west England between 1975 and 1980.

He was convicted in 1981 and spent three decades at Broadmoor Hospital before being moved to HMP Frankland in County Durham in 2016.

Former police officer Bob Bridgestock said he "won't be shedding any tears" over Sutcliffe's death.

Mr Bridgestock said some victims would find peace following his death.

"Today is about the families and they won't shed a tear for him, but it will bring back some terrible memories for them," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"For those that were attacked and survived, it will give them a little bit of peace knowing that they don't actually have to hear about him after today any more."

The son of the first victim of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, whose death was announced this morning, says he feared for his life after his mother's death.

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Sutcliffe's first victim was mother-of-four Wilma McCann (pictured), 28, who was hit with a hammer and stabbed 15 times in Leeds in October 1975.

Her son, Richard McCann, who was aged five at the time, says when Sutcliffe later killed Jayne MacDonald, who also lived in his street, he was "convinced he was out there and he was going to kill me".

Mr McCann added: "It really affected me. I was ashamed of being associated with Sutcliffe, possibly to do with the way people looked down, and the police and some of the media, describing some of the women as not so innocent.

"I've had to live with that shame for all these years. There's only one person that should have felt any shame - although I doubt that he did - and that was Peter Sutcliffe," he added.

A police force has apologised to the Yorkshire Ripper's victims for the "language, tone and terminology" used to describe them in the 1970s.

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Senior West Yorkshire officers described some of the 13 women killed by Peter Sutcliffe, who has died aged 74, as "not so innocent".

The son of his first victim Wilma McCann had appealed for an apology.

In a statement, West Yorkshire Chief Constable John Robins said: "On behalf of West Yorkshire Police, I apologise for the additional distress and anxiety caused to all relatives by the language, tone and terminology used by senior officers at the time in relation to Peter Sutcliffe’s victims.

“Such language and attitudes may have reflected wider societal attitudes of the day, but it was as wrong then as it is now.

“A huge number of officers worked to identify and bring Peter Sutcliffe to justice and it is a shame their hard work was overshadowed by the language of senior officers used at the time, the effect of which is still felt today by surviving relatives.

“Thankfully those attitudes are consigned to history and our approach today is wholly victim focused, putting them at the centre of everything we do."

Peter Sutcliffe "should rot in hell" following his death, aged 74, the chairman of the organisation representing rank-and-file police officers in West Yorkshire has said.

Sutcliffe, who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper, killed 13 women and tried to kill seven others in Yorkshire and the north-west between 1975 and 1980.

The serial killer was serving a whole life jail term after being convicted at the Old Bailey in 1981.

He died in hospital earlier today, where he is said to have refused treatment for Covid-19. He also had other health problems.

Brian Booth, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: "On hearing of the death of Peter Sutcliffe today, I feel: good riddance.

"The monster who murdered so many innocent women in and around West Yorkshire should rot in hell.

"He is the very reason most people step to the plate and become police officers - to protect our communities from people like him," Mr Booth added.

The death of the killer of 13 women will bring "some closure", says the son of his first victim.

Leeds in the late 1970s and early 1980s was a place of fear and suspicion.

The son of a woman who was killed by the Yorkshire Ripper has appealed to West Yorkshire Police to make a formal apology for the way victims were described by officers in the 1970s.

Image source, Family handout

Peter Sutcliffe, who killed 13 women and tried to kill seven others, has died aged 74, it was announced earlier.

His first victim, Wilma McCann (pictured), 28, was hit with a hammer and stabbed 15 times in Leeds in October 1975.

Her son, Richard McCann, said he wanted the West Yorkshire force "once and for all" to "apologise to the families for the way in which they described some of the women as "innocent", inferring that some, including his mother, were not innocent.

He said: "I'd invite them to make that apology. They were innocent and it would set the record straight."

Mr McCann added: "I want her to be remembered as the mother of four children, the daughter of her parents.

"She was a family woman who, through no fault of her own, was going through adversity and made some bad decisions, some risky decisions. She paid for those decisions with her life."

Peter Sutcliffe was a "depraved and evil individual" and it is "right he has died behind bars", the Prime Minister's official spokesman has said.

Image source, Reuters/Toby Melville

The serial killer died earlier today aged 74 after testing positive for Covid-19 and while suffering from several other underlying health issues, according to the Prison Service.

Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was serving a whole life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and north-west England.

Reacting to the news, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister's thoughts today are with those who lost their lives, the survivors and with the families and the friends of Sutcliffe's victims.

"Peter Sutcliffe was a depraved and evil individual whose crimes caused unimaginable suffering and appalled this country.

"Nothing will ever detract from the harm he caused, but it is right he died behind bars for his barbaric murders and for his attempted murders."

Reacting to the news of the death of Peter Sutcliffe, one of the surviving victims of the Yorkshire Ripper said she still suffers from the effects of his attack in Leeds 44 years on.

Sutcliffe was serving a whole life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and north-west England and died in hospital where he is said to have refused treatment for Covid-19.

Marcella Claxton was one seven women who survived attacks by Sutcliffe.

Ms Claxton has told Sky News: "I have to live with my injuries: 54 stitches in my head, back and front, plus I lost a baby - I was four months pregnant.

"I still get headaches, dizzy spells and blackouts."

Richard McCann, the son of the first victim of the serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper, whose death was announced earlier, says he decided to let go of his anger and "forgive" him.

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Peter Sutcliffe was convicted in 1981 and was serving a whole life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and north-west England.

Sutcliffe's first victim was mother-of-four Wilma McCann, 28, who was hit with a hammer and stabbed 15 times in October 1975.

Her son Richard McCann (pictured), who was aged five at the time, explained that in 2010 he decided to let go of his anger and "forgive" Sutcliffe.

"I am sorry to hear he has passed away. It's not something I could have said in the past when I was consumed with anger," he said.

Mr McCann also revealed he'd been in touch with one of Peter Sutcliffe's brothers, Carl.

He said: "He reached out to me with compassion and I felt the same. I know he obviously did some horrendous things but he was still his brother so I felt like I wanted to call him."

A total of 13 women were murdered by Peter Sutcliffe, the man who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper, who has died aged 74.

Image source, PA Media

Sutcliffe was serving a whole-life tariff for those murders, which took place across Yorkshire and the North West between 1975 and 1980.

He avoided detection for years due to a series of missed opportunities by police and only eventually confessed in 1981 after he was caught in Sheffield.

In May 1981, he was jailed for 20 life terms at the Old Bailey, with the judge recommending a minimum sentence of 30 years.

Sutcliffe's victims were:

• Wilma McCann, 28, Leeds, October 1975
• Emily Jackson, 42, Leeds, January 1976
• Irene Richardson, 28, Leeds, February 1977
• Patricia Atkinson, 32, Bradford, April 1977
• Jayne McDonald, 16, Leeds, June 1977
• Jean Jordan, 21, Manchester, October 1977
• Yvonne Pearson, 22, Bradford, January 1978
• Helen Rytka, 18, Huddersfield, January 1978
• Vera Millward, 41, Manchester, May 1978
• Josephine Whittaker, 19, Halifax, May 1979
• Barbara Leach, 20, Bradford, September 1979
• Marguerite Walls, 47, Leeds, August 1980
• Jacqueline Hill, 20, Leeds, November 1980

Sutcliffe also brutally attacked at least seven more women, who survived.

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Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, who's death has been announced this morning, had tested positive for Covid-19 and was suffering from underlying health conditions, a Prison Service spokesperson has confirmed.

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Sutcliffe had refused treatment at University Hospital of North Durham after being transferred there from maximum security HMP Frankland, where he was an inmate.

Sutcliffe, 74, was serving a whole life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and the north-west between 1975 and 1980.

He was convicted in 1981 and, after a long spell in Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire (pictured), he was transferred to HMP Frankland in 2016 after being deemed stable enough to serve time in prison.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "HMP Frankland prisoner Peter Coonan (born Sutcliffe) died in hospital on 13 November. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed."

Sutcliffe had reportedly suffered from a range of conditions before his death, including heart trouble, diabetes and obesity.

With the news of the death of Peter Sutcliffe aged 74, people should think of the Yorkshire Ripper's victims, the chair of the Police Federation has said.

John Apter, who leads the organisation representing rank-and-file police officers, said he will be thinking of the 13 women Sutcliffe killed, along with the seven who survived the attacks:

The son of the first victim of the serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper, whose death was announced earlier, has said he'll now have "some kind of closure".

Image source, PA Media

Peter Sutcliffe was serving a whole life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and north-west England.

He was convicted in 1981 and spent three decades at Broadmoor Hospital before being moved to HMP Frankland in County Durham in 2016.

Peter Sutcliffe died in hospital where he is said to have refused treatment for Covid-19. Sutcliffe also had a number of other underlying health problems.

Sutcliffe's first victim was mother-of-four Wilma McCann (pictured), 28, who was hit with a hammer and stabbed 15 times in October 1975. Her son Richard was aged five at the time.

Mr McCann said: "The attention he's had over the years, the continuous news stories that we've suffered over the years, there is some form of conclusion to that.

"I am sure a lot of the families, surviving children of the victims may well be glad he has gone and they have a right to feel like that."

He explained that in about 2010 he had decided to let go of his anger and "forgive" Sutcliffe.

"I am sorry to hear he has passed away. It's not something I could have said in the past when I was consumed with anger," he said.

The Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe has died at the age of 74.

Image source, Rex Features

The serial killer was serving a whole life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and north-west England between 1975 and 1980.

He was convicted in 1981 and spent three decades at Broadmoor Hospital before being moved to HMP Frankland in County Durham in 2016.

Former police officer Bob Bridgestock, who worked on the hunt for Sutcliffe, said he "won't be shedding any tears".