ITVX s new true crime series, The Long Shadow, delves into the five-year manhunt for one of Britain s most notorious serial killers which was derailed for two years by a hoax confession.
Richard McCann whose mother was murdered by Sutcliffe when he was just five, urged producers of the Long Shadow to omit the serial killer s moniker, saying it traumatised the families of victims.
Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield had been regarded as a top notch copper but his career and health suffered terminally after he took charge of the Ripper case.
In the summer of 1979, the police revealed a recording they believed had been sent by the Yorkshire Ripper. It had in fact been made by John Humble (above, with real killer Peter Sutcliffe).