THE terrifying crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, are re-examined 45 years on from his first murder in a new book.

Murders That Shocked the World – Cases from the 1970s, by Michael Cowton, together the stories of the decade’s worst serial killers, including the frenzied hammer and knife attacks of Bingley-born Sutcliffe.

Between 1975 and 1980, the Yorkshire Ripper, as he became known, murdered at least 13 women and attempted to kill seven others, while narrowly evading capture time and again.

He would later claim that God had sent him on a mission to kill prostitutes, but his true motivation has been the subject of speculation for decades.

In Murders That Shocked the World – Cases from the 1970s, Cowton sheds new light on what made Sutcliffe one of the most feared men in British history.

He also examines the horrific stories of monsters such as David Berkowitz, John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy.

The 200-page paperback, published by Banovallum Books, is priced £7.99 and is available from mortonsbooks.co.uk