Chilling moment Sutcliffe's brother discovered he was in fact Yorkshire Ripper

16 October 2023 , 18:30

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A family photo from 1961 shows Peter Sutcliffe (bottom left) and his brother Carl (baby)

ITV's new drama The Long Shadow portrays the chilling tale of Peter Sutcliffe's horrific five-year killing spree, bringing back cruel memories and grief for victims' families and even relatives of his own. Sutcliffe, who was dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper, was finally convicted in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven between 1975 and 1980.

Now, the seven-part series tells the tragic stories of his victims and explains how his murderous rampage was able to go on for so long. The evil criminal's younger brother, Carl Sutcliffe, 60, has spoken out about his distaste for his sibling's crimes being repeatedly told on telly, and has said it's like 'reopening a terrible old wound'.

The tale of Peter Sutcliffe's victims is being portrayed in ITV's new drama, The Long Shadow

Carl Sutcliffe discovered his brother was the Yorkshire Ripper during a trip to the local library

Speaking to Mail Online, Carl said: "My brother's story has been repeatedly told and, for the sake of the victims and their families - and my family - it needs to be left now. It is history." In the interview, he explained that he stopped using his surname for years after Sutcliffe's trial, and went by his first and middle name, Nicholas, instead. "If I booked a restaurant and used my surname, people would ask if I was related. Even now, I try not to use my surname if booking anything, or if I am abroad and get chatting to people," he said.

In an exclusive interview with the Mirror in 2020, before Sutcliffe died of Covid behind bars, Carl spoke about his family's upbringing and recalled the exact moment he discovered that his older brother was the notorious Ripper. He said he was 21 at the time and looking for jobs in the local library when he found out by chance from a newspaper that he was related to the serial killer.

"I was shocked," he said. "I looked over this lad's shoulder who was reading the paper and there was a picture of my brother's house. It said they had caught the Ripper and there was his house. I thought, 'Bloody hell, that's our Peter's house'. We talked about the Ripper with my brother all the time. Bloody hell, he used to take my girlfriend home.

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"We would go out with me and my girlfriend with Peter and his wife, and he would run us home and then drop her off. He wouldn't have done nowt to her, but it was weird." Their mother Kathleen died of a heart attack three years before Sutcliffe was caught. Carl said their father, John, died in 2004 aged 81. He added that he never believed his son was responsible for all the murders he was convicted of.

Sharing an insight into his relationship with his sibling, Carl said: "He was great with me normally. He was a brilliant brother. He'd buy me presents, take me to the pictures and the skating rink. But I do remember there was one time when he held me by the feet out of the bedroom window. I thought, 'he's not going to drop me'. But he did, on my head. I had a twisted neck and I had a real sore neck for weeks."

He said Peter moved out after meeting Sonia Szuma in a Bradford pub and they married on August 10, 1974. They lived in the Heaton area of the city but could not have children. "He used to love kids and he would have been a good dad but it was never to be," Carl added.

The Long Shadow is on ITV1 and ITVX tonight at 9pm

Nia Dalton