Elaine Chung
Netflix’s latest true crime series outlines the violent murders committed by “The Ripper”—but not the infamous Jack, who terrorized London in the Victorian era. The new four part documentary tells the story of the Yorkshire Ripper, a British murderer who killed at least 13 women and attacked many more between 1975 and 1980 in Northern England. The Netflix documentary recounts the horrific crimes through interviews with investigators, survivors, journalists, and the families of victims.
Who was the Yorkshire Ripper?
The Yorkshire Ripper was named Peter William Sutcliffe (also known as Peter William Coonan), and was working as a truck driver in the period he committed the majority of his attacks. He targeted mainly sex workers in red-light districts and low income neighborhoods, brutally attacking, mutilating, and oftentimes murdering women for years while he evaded arrest. Over the course of the five year police investigation, Sutcliffe was brought in nine times by police for questioning without being arrested. He continued to kill after each police interview, and even after he had been arrested for drunk driving in 1980, which later led to strong criticism of the police’s handling of the case. The series highlights the prominent sexism and classism at the time, as both the police and press failed to give proper attention to cases that involved women who were sex workers or lived in poverty. This dehumanization contributed to and enabled the perpetrator to evade capture for so many years.