Let him rot in prison (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Let him rot in prison

7:33am Thursday 15th May 2008 in

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Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe has been condemned for bidding to win his freedom through human rights legislation.

And a woman who survived one of his vicious attacks has called for him to spend the rest of his days behind bars.

Sutcliffe, 61, is detained in Broadmoor top security hospital for the murder of 13 women and the attempted murder of seven others during a five-year reign of terror in the 1970s.

The Bradford lorry driver and former gravedigger was given 20 life sentences in 1981 and told he would serve a minimum of 30 years. He began his sentence in prison but was diagnosed with schizophrenia three years later and moved to Broadmoor.

Sutcliffe, who has changed his name to Coonan, his mother's maiden name, has now instructed lawyers in London to apply to the courts for a release date.

His solicitor, Saimo Chahal, is expected to argue that the serial killer's human rights were breached by the Home Office because it had failed to formally fix a tariff - the minimum sentence he will serve.

It is claimed Sutcliffe wants to be declared sane and transferred back to the prison system and that his solicitor has asked for a reassessment of his psychiatric condition and will then try to use the European Convention of Human Rights to secure his release by 2011.

Olive Smelt, 78, of Halifax, survived an attack by the Ripper in 1975. She is now wheelchair-bound, has difficulty getting around her flat and needs a carer.

Her husband Harry said last night that the attack by Sutcliffe had taken its toll on his wife.

Mr Smelt said: "He didn't give the victims many human rights. We don't get angry anymore because it's so long ago now, but it is irritating that he keeps trying to find a way to get out.

"Sutcliffe is detained where he belongs and he should see out the rest of his days there.

"I know he will keep trying and he will always have somebody on his side, but he is not going to be released. Our message to him is he is wasting his time and I hope he is."

West Yorkshire Police's most senior detective, Chris Gregg, this week condemned the use of human rights legislation by murderers and rapists in the UK as "callous, heartless and deeply offensive" after the killer of Bradford policeman Ian Broadhurst - David Bieber - argued his full life sentence breached his human rights.

The police chief said criminals who used the legislation caused terrible offence to the families of victims who had suffered appalling and cruel deaths.

Yesterday Detective Chief Superintendent Gregg, who worked on the Ripper inquiry as a young officer, said his comments could equally be applied to Sutcliffe.

Det Chief Supt Gregg said: "Peter Sutcliffe is a murderer. It is the same issue as with David Bieber. My comments apply equally as much to Peter Sutcliffe as any other murderer or rapist."

The Ripper's younger brother Mick Sutcliffe, of Bingley, yesterday insisted there was no chance of him being freed.

"He may think at the back of his mind that he might have a chance, but he will never be let out," said Mick. "Thirty years doesn't mean anything. If it's 40 or 50 years, they will keep him there. Whether he is insane or sane, he will never come out. He will be there till he dies.

"He has never mentioned human rights legislation to me, but it is irrelevant. They will never let him out, because of what he has done and for his own safety. If he was 90, blind in both eyes and completely harmless, somebody would still kill him."

Sutcliffe, who suffers from diabetes, is detained on Broadmoor's hospital wing for treatment to reduce his weight after he ballooned to 19 stone.

A statement from Bindmans and Partners law firm in London said it was instructed by Mr Coonan in respect of the setting of a minimum tariff following his conviction.

It went on: "Any prisoner is entitled to have a tariff set within a reasonable time of conviction which will set out the minimum term of imprisonment to be served.

"Following a reference to the Court by the Secretary of State for Justice in accordance with the terms of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, the Court will consider the evidence and set a tariff in due course."

The Ministry of Justice refused to comment.

Saimo Chahal, a partner in Bindmans, is a specialist human rights lawyer and has been described as a "legal human rights champion." She was named Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year in a 2006 poll for "pushing the boundaries of the law on behalf of those with mental illness."

A report on a legal website said the case was referred to her because she "takes on difficult cases" and she was concerned there was a huge amount of information in the public domain which was "simply untrue."