Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 13 Nov 2020
THE WEST YORKSHIRE police have issued an apology to the relatives of Peter Sutcliffe’s victims for “the language, tone and terminology used by senior officers at the time”.
West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable John Robins has issued an apology today, responding to calls from the son of the Yorkshire Ripper’s first recognised victim.
Richard McCann had earlier appealed to West Yorkshire Police to make a formal apology for the way in which his mother and other victims of Sutcliffe were described by officers in the 1970s.
He said he wanted the force “once and for all” to “apologise to the families, who are still around, for the way in which they described some of the women as ‘innocent’, inferring that some were not innocent – including my mum.
“I’d invite them to make that apology,” adding that “it would set the records straight.”
McCann added: “I want her to be remembered as the mother of four children, the daughter of her parents. She was a family woman who, through no fault of her own, was going through adversity and made some bad decisions, some risky decisions.
She paid for those decisions with her life.
In a statement released this afternoon, West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable John Robins said: “On behalf of West Yorkshire Police, I apologise for the additional distress and anxiety caused to all relatives by the language, tone and terminology used by senior officers at the time in relation to Peter Sutcliffe’s victims.
Such language and attitudes may have reflected wider societal attitudes of the day, but it was as wrong then as it is now.
“A huge number of officers worked to identify and bring Peter Sutcliffe to justice and it is a shame that their hard work was overshadowed by the language of senior officers used at the time, the effect of which is still felt today by surviving relatives.
“Thankfully those attitudes are consigned to history and our approach today is wholly victim focused, putting them at the centre of everything we do.”
He added: “I offer this heartfelt apology today as the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police.”
Condolences to Carl Sutcliffe
McCann said he reached out to the serial killer’s brother “to offer my condolences” after hearing the news of his death.
He was only five years old when his mother, Wilma McCann, was murdered in 1975.
He revealed he had been in touch with one of Peter Sutcliffe’s brothers, Carl, following the news that the murderer had died in prison today.
McCann told the BBC: “I gave him a call when I got the news to offer my condolences.
“Carl Sutcliffe reached out to me many years ago when he read about my journey — he reached out to me with compassion and I felt the same.
“I know he obviously did some horrendous things but he was still his brother so I felt like I wanted to call him.”
He said news of Sutcliffe’s death had brought him “some degree of closure”, but that he had never wished him dead, nor was he celebrating the news.
He said: “Every time we hear a news story about him, and my mum’s photo is often shown, it’s just another reminder of what he did.”
He said “one positive” to come from Sutcliffe’s death is that “we’ll hear much less about him, and no more reminders about what happened all those years ago”.
A mother of four, Wilma McCann was just 28 when she was killed on playing fields in Chapeltown, Leeds, just yards from her home.
Her son said he was left terrified after his mother’s death, and when Sutcliffe killed Jayne MacDonald, who also lived in his street.
McCann said: “I was convinced as a child, having had no therapy of any description, that he was out there and that he was going to kill me.”
He added: “It really affected me. I was ashamed of being associated with Sutcliffe and all his crimes and, possibly, to do with the way that lots of people in society looked down, and the police and some of the media – describing some of the women as innocent and some not so innocent.
“I’m sorry to harp on about this but I’ve had to live with that shame for all these years.
“There’s only one person that should have felt any shame – although I doubt that he did – and that was Peter Sutcliffe.”
Retired detective Roger Parnell, who worked on the Ripper inquiry, rejected accusations the officers “did not care less” about prostitute victims.
He told BBC Radio 5Live: “We certainly did, I can assure you we did.
“These ladies were wives, they were mothers, they were sisters. And the inquiry did not change at the murder of Jayne MacDonald.
“We were all determined from the beginning to catch the perpetrator of all these murders.
“When I heard this morning that Peter Sutcliffe had died, I just could not care less, to be honest.”
Parnell said: “The senior officers at the time …. they just swallowed hook, line and sinker the Wearside Jack tape.
“Many of us, the officers on the ground, the DCs and the sergeants, we didn’t swallow this, to be quite honest.
“We let our thoughts be known but we were ignored.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
They will literally find any way possible to squeeze the money out of us.
@Ger Whelan: That part of the proposal would appeal to the government but It would never go any further since half the FF/FG voting boomers would be off the road if they had to display basic driving competency.
This is a cohort who learned to drive at a time when drink driving after 4 pints was seen as socially acceptable so it should give some idea of what the standards were.
@Rochelle Hart: awh, did you emerge from your little safe space to deliver that diatribe….?
@Rochelle Hart: what a load of tripe
@Ger Whelan: Thats not the reason. The reason it by doing these things they dont actually have to implement anything infrastructural, the largest proportion of road deaths is happening on rural roads, small narrow HGV filled roads that are (in my experience living outside of an urban area) SHOCKINGLY bad. Zero thinking, zero action, as you and everyone can see this is what our political class think ‘work’ is… It’s why our services are in tatters.
Politicians should sit a theory test every 5 years to make sure they know which country they actually serve.
@Eric Gaffney: they should sit an iq test too
@Eric Gaffney: they should only sit 5 years then out the door no pension no massive payoff. Let new blood in
@Eric Gaffney: Bravo.. 100%
@Eric Gaffney: Heard this lad on Newstalk this afternoon. Now he’s claiming that if someone renewing a licence took and failed the test it wouldn’t mean they couldn’t renew their licence….. and by the way according to him it’s not a test it a learning opportunity. Another total spoofer.
There’s already a massive backlog on driving tests and they want to make it even worse.
@Michael Cooney: how does resitting the theory test make the backlog on driving tests worse??
@Kevin Collins: have a think you lemon
@Joe Beirne: kevin is right. The theory test takes an hour, less if you like. Did it for the first time last Saturday. (Got full licence in ’87).
Joe you sound like a middle lane hugger.
@Joe Beirne: the theory test and driving test itself are conducted in different places, at different times, and by different people. (One is in a classroom, the other is outside – on roads and in a car).
The proposal to resit the theory test for driving test *renewals* should have no impact on the number or timing of people sitting the driving test itself.
@Kevin Collins: if you hold a license,you have proven your ability to drive,this is another stupid money making spinner,making people re sit tests they have already passed,labour really are devoid of good ideas,no surprise there
Are you for real. You allow foreign people with no license to drive he no problem
Get real and cop on
@Michael Heelan: And in other countries a license is for life, no need to renew.
@Michael Heelan: yep. Brits.
@Michael Heelan: you just like making random things up where you’re always right about something, yeah?
@Michael Heelan: I’d love to see the journal fact check this. I hear it a lot but am not sure that it’s true. I think they would at least need to have a license from their home country…no
Would it not be better to start this with ppl who have their licenses suspended by the courts? Prosecuted for drink driving? Have to complete a driver ed program & resit the driving test revoked for speeding / dangerous driving, similar punishment
I have a full licence for Truck, bus, car, etc. I already spend a couple of days per year in the classroom to fulfill my CPC certificate. Does that mean I would have to resit for each category… No way Hosea.
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: suggestion is laughable to the extreme.
Labour can fook off
And that is why Labour are not in power !!
The theory test is only a test of memory, go on line and you can learn all the theory questions off by heart. Also my memory is still very good, I can still remember what the Labour Party done to the working classes after the the bankers and the builders/developers broke our country in 2080. Never voted Labour after that and never will.
@Jimmy Kiely: you’re a fair man to remember something that won’t happen for another 55 years.
Get on your bike like the green’s and keep going
And they wonder why nobody will vote for them.
Clown
A wokey knobhead
This is as ridiculous as it sounds. if this is all this TD can come up with God help us. How did this
Person t ever get elected. So TD s can say what they like and we the public can’t
Go away…
There a 52,000 backlog now and they want to add more to the tests? They are unreal
Labour trying to be relevant
Te test is a complete joke anyway.
NONRUNNER
@James Leahy:
A bit like your self.
@Dan Murphy: 41 -0 I think we know who the nonrunner is and its not james leahy.
Labour??? ROFLMAO!
They definitely should make people who never sat the theory test do it. You’ll find them in the wrong lanes on roundabouts with no indicators.
@Don Johnson: Oh, you mean like people who participate in traffic like bicycle riders and pedestrians?
Go for it!!!
@Athena: been a while since I saw a pedestrian walking around a roundabout.
@Athena: bikes and pedestrians don’t have indicators, go back and read the sentence again…ya lemon!
@Don Johnson: They and cyclists participate in traffic. Therefore they should know and obey the rules of the road.
@Ivan Dickson: I’m talking about bicycles, not bikes… ya non biker
Yeh,And all politicians will have to take a lie detector test before getting back into the daily.. Muppet.
Good aul Labour, they are expert marksmen considering they’ve continually shot themselves on the foot since iPhone Joan was handed the reins.
I’ve never come across a worse idea
@David Fox: Just think of all the lovely money they’ll make from us, that’s all they’re thinking of
@SOCOMJON: They’d probably end up over booked and have to contract in a private company from overseas at great cost to the tax payer. Just look at the amount of money wasted on speed van contracts.
Why don’t they enforce the laws that are already their besides coming up with stupid ideas. I live in a small community, and there are two different individuals that I know are off the road (for drink driving) and still driving away. No enforcement. It’s all about hitting the people for more money either by taxes or by waisting it.
@Paul Harte:
Yes, I know of people doing the very same, no licence, tax, insurance or feck all. No enforcement of laws unless they catch you speeding.
so, punish the people who’ve done the work, taken the test, paid the money, and the RSA get off scot-free for not being able to deliver ? Typical loon ideology.
Urinate off.
Get lost.
What about the 16 year olds driving huge tractors and trailers with no training whatsoever. Mobile phone use is rampant and plays a huge part in road safety, increasing the fines and points for this offence would be a lot smarter in my opinion. People need to be hit in the pocket and then they will learn. (Maybe).
@Anthony Mc Donagh: that is a serious issue. Just look at the amount of skid marks from trailers every summer will give you a good gauche of their ability to drive
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer: gauge
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer: Have you ever driven a tractor and silage trailer? Somehow I doubt it because if you did you’d know the difference in how loaded trailers and empty trailers behave under braking. The reason you see skid marks left behind trailers is because the braking force needed to stop a loaded trailer is far greater than that needed to stop an empty trailer but the same braking force is applied regardless of whether the trailer is loaded or not because of how trailer brakes are set up,and absolutely nothing to do with the driver’s ability or competence.
Thinking money again is he for real who puts these people in charge he wants to put more pressure on drivers testers theory test dates is the backlog not long enough get a slice of cop on absolute clown
I just did the trailer test. My B licence expired three weeks prior to the test so I had to renew it at a cost of €65. Cost €35 to get the trailer learner permit. It cost €85 to do the test and another €35 to get the BE added to the newly renewed licence which ended up going in the bin. It’s some money racket!
We do not deserve these geniuses. God give us strength.
Of course no theory test needed to drive the country into the ground.
Seems a reasonable proposal. I’d go further and say, if caught speeding then you will resit the test within one year of being caught.
@AnthonyK: not a bad idea at all, or perhaps have a compulsory retest if more than 5 points are accumulated in a year.
@AnthonyK: Yes I’m with you. If you operate construction equipment you are required to renew a ticket for each machine you opperate every 4 years. Continual professional development and training can only help to keep our toads safer.
Typical Labour — nail the workers.
Remember the last time they were in government.
@Tis Shields: oh we do what shocking excuses for public representatives
Stick to playing with your pronouns, you little wingnut
This is why Liebour don’t represent the workers in this country. Only good at sweeping your hard earned money up from pocket.
This is why one of the reasons we’ve a housing shortage. They helped with knocking ghost estates and FG brought in the vulture wolves.
It’s just so hard to get your voice heard when you’re a TD in a crowd like the Labour Party that has lost touch with its roots.
This is just another random suggestion without any scientific or statistical information to support it.
Good idea. Theory test only came in around 2001. Most people over 40 will never have sat it.
This has the potential to improve driver behaviour, have people think about their driving and ultimately save lives and reduces injuries.
A 30 minute test every 10 years with those potential benefits isn’t exactly onerous
@Ronan Mc: go back to your stamp collection….
@N I: oh, lol!
A another car tax
The roads are not policed well enough. I commute on one of the busiest commuter roads in the country and not a garda to be seen. 5 or 6 years ago the garda were on it the whole time.
Go away
This fella is a clown
Labour are finished working class my as
Let’s be honest. Learning answers to 40 questions will not make the roads any safer. Look at everyone who passed a driving test and received their licence to drive on the roads, and look at the accidents that happen everyday. It’s not the licence they hold or the 36/40 questions that got right, it’s their attitude on the road.
This is just another way to get extra funding off us while doing nothing to address the fact that such a move will do nothing to solve the backlog. Look, we need licence reform now to fix the system. Instead of the government issuing a licence to drivers, it should be handled by private driving schools which can issue skill certifications. Employers, insurers and road owners would recognise these certifications, creating an alternative qualification system. This would remove the backlog while still making sure that people who are driving on the road have proven their competency. If someone drives without insurance or causes harm, they’d face direct financial and legal consequences. With no government safety net, the personal cost of reckless driving would be much more punitive.
The only one who needs retesting and health testing are pensioners. They are a threat on the road. Never know when will they lose conscious, 0 reaction and constantly creating a traffic jam.
@Lei tatt: NOT TRUE…..
I would have thought practice, more than theory, would improve driver skills. Experiential learning, not theory.
I would say that it’s fundamentally unfair that all younger drivers are held to a higher standard and higher cost than older drivers who have never had to take this test.
But then that’s Ireland across the board.
@Rochelle Hart: awh, is the spoilt little baby offended? Grow up….
@Rochelle Hart:
It’s not the older drivers causing carnage every weekend. There’s a reason younger drivers pay more for insurance.
What a muppet
The looney left, speaking into an empty auditorium after everyone else has gone. It’s like everything these champagne socialists recommend with their coiffed grand standing, public must pay while they of course are exempt. Perhaps every government driver should be mandated yearly to retest, or perhaps every do called con artist of a politician weekly… Labour is by far the failure of a party and nutters the most bonkers statements to get attention.
I’d just like to commend Charlie Flanagan re his accurate comments on the article above.
Well that’s one way to increase the waiting lists and making people possibly temporarily lose their licenses because of a backlog.
The last thing we need is more laws or regulations. Why not reduce present ones by 50% BUT implement them 100%. I am convinced the results would be astonishing.
Great that will keep them out for another term so
It’s simple lads… We don’t need lower speed limits, we don’t need harsher fines, we don’t need more speed vans, we don’t need more driving tests.
We need more Gardai on the roads enforcing the laws that we have already.
People know the rules, they just don’t care because it’s incredibly unlikely they’ll be caught.
God no
This Labour party crowd still doesn’t get it they are clung to the attacking working class people’s wallets. Meany Joan Button policies of attacking The struggling working people.
That would mean that older people would have to do theory test every third year
These guys would bring back the window tax if you let them.
If he wants to do proactive why not make it a legal requirement for anyone who wants to become a professional driver, taxi, truck,bus,ambulance, have a minimum of 3 years driving experience on Irish roads,the standard of driving i see on a daily basis amongst driver’s, particularly taxi driver’s is appalling. In the US and I’m sure other countries, this is the case.
I work in the transport sector. The amount of people that cannot properly use roundabouts, junctions, motorways and roadworks zones properly is staggering as well as those who are older and more easily confused. I actually think this would be a beneficial move to remove those who aren’t safe behind a wheel. Driving is a privilege not a right. Too many people are being killed in collisions caused by bad driving.
@Toca Stories: change jobs
Over a few years I’ve observed poor driving behaviour, errors, careless, lack of observation, no consideration to other road users, using phone while driving, this all mainly by those with N plates on their car. Considering they are relatively fresh from all the instructions and training that’s mandatory now, it’s pretty damning and a poor reflection on the quality of those lessons. So in conclusion this would be farcical and a cynical manoeuvre to take more from us. So that’s another X labour.
What an @ss#0l€
Arrrah shut up !!!!
It’s very obvious that this Labour Gombean hasn’t a clue about waiting lists for theory tests or driving tests. The Labour party turned it’s back on the normal Joe and Mary’s of Ireland, the workers that they claim to represent. Hopefully they will be a defunct party soon, just like the Greens, the PDs and the rest of the parties that have fallen to the weigh side.
Any reason to squeeze more money out of people, also doing a theory test when renewing your licence will not change the behaviour of drivers load of nonsense
have your say