Ripper loses sentence challenge

Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe yesterday lost a bid to go to the highest court in the land to challenge an order that he can never be released.

The serial killer’s latest attempt to have his “whole life” tariff overturned was rejected by Court of Appeal judges.

He had wanted to take his case to the Supreme Court.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, announced that his application had been rejected.

Lord Judge said the Court of Appeal had refused to certify that a point of general public importance was involved in the appeal.

A High Court judge ruled last year that the serial killer of 13 women must serve a “whole life” tariff.

Mr Sutcliffe, who is now known as Peter Coonan, had his appeal against that order rejected by the Lord Chief Justice, Mr Justice Calvert-Smith and Mr Justice Griffith Williams at the Court of Appeal in January.

The former lorry driver, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, was convicted at the Old Bailey in 1981.

Mr Sutcliffe, now 64, received 20 life terms for the murder of 13 women and the attempted murder of others in Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.