Lee Craven fears Peter Sutcliffe killed his grandad in 1966

The Yorkshire Ripper’s New Victims, to be screened on Channel 5 on Thursday, will feature the stories of other potential victims of Peter Sutcliffe years before he was convicted of murdering 13 women and seven attempted murders.

One of these ‘forgotten’ victims is Fred Craven, who was killed in an attack at his bookmakers’ shop in Wellington Street, Bingley, on April 22, 1966 - nine years before Sutcliffe’s first murder.

Mr Craven, a popular character who had a disability after contracting tuberculosis, was hit over the head five times with a blunt instrument.

Fred Craven was attacked in his Bingley bookies in 1966

The suspect was believed to be a man in his 20s, but no-one was ever arrested for the murder and the case remains unsolved.

Sutcliffe was questioned by police a number of years later due to the nature of the attack on Mr Craven but always denied any involvement in it.

Sutcliffe again denied he murdered Mr Craven in a letter written in 2017.

Sutcliffe died aged 74 after contracting Covid-19 in November last year. His killing spree across Yorkshire and Manchester ran from 1975 to 1980. He confessed to the murders the following year.

Mr Craven’s grandson, Lee Craven, of Bradford Live, who took part in the new documentary, said: “I think this was the first killing and he (Sutcliffe) found he enjoyed it. He had a long run, I’m afraid.

“I have asked myself ‘why am I taking part in this?’ Two reasons; I’ve got to keep my grandfather’s memory alive and explode the myth that Sutcliffe was a victim himself and who had an uncontrollable hatred of women. It was just nonsense.

“He attacked anyone who was vulnerable. He was on his own when he was attacked with a blunt instrument. He was assaulted again as he lay on the ground. These are signature Sutcliffe, all the traits he used in his killing.

“It’s up to us to remember what he did and he wanted to be seen as a victim. That’s not right.

Lee Craven beldieves his grandfather, Fred Craven, was killed by Peter Sutcliffe

“How many vicious killers are there in the world and how many killers are there in Bingley? It’s just too coincidental.

“You look at the reality of it and he (Sutcliffe) was scurrying around like a rat, looking for vulnerable people.

“I would hope that the police can look at these old attacks and review them.

“It is our duty to remember these unsolved cases.”

Sam Vidler, another grandchild of Fred Craven’s, also took part in the documentary.

The Sutcliffe family lived in the same street as the Cravens before Fred was killed.

Other people who survived attacks they believe were perpetrated by Sutcliffe include Mo Lea, who was attacked in the street with a ball pein hammer in October 1980 and Tracey Browne, who was attacked in August 1975.

John Tomey is also interviewed in the documentary. He says he is ‘99.9 per cent certain’ it was Sutcliffe who hit him 10 times with a hammer in Oxenhope during a taxi journey in March 1967.

The documentary will be screened on Channel 5 on Thursday night at 9pm.