Man charged with attack on Ripper

12:16pm Saturday 17th May 2008

A man has been charged with attempted wounding with intent on the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe at Broadmoor hospital, police said today.

The charge relates to an alleged attack on the 61-year-old serial murderer with a cutlery knife by a fellow inmate at the secure mental hospital in Crowthorne, Berkshire, in December.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said Patrick Sureda, 42, was charged with attempted wounding with intent on February 28, but news of the charges was only revealed today.

Sutcliffe worked as a lorry driver in Bradford when he committed his killing spree in the 1970s and early 1980s, has now changed his surname to Coonan, his mother's maiden name.