One of the UK's most notorious serial killers has died. Peter Sutcliffe, who was otherwise known as the Yorkshire Ripper, had been serving a whole life term for the murders of at least 13 women across northern England in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The former lorry driver had recently tested positive for coronavirus and reportedly refused further treatment in hospital. He also had a number of underlying health conditions. The 74-year-old was convicted in 1981 and spent three decades in a psychiatric facility before being moved to HMP Frankland in County Durham in 2016. The Ministry of Justice said: "HMP Frankland prisoner Peter Coonan (born Sutcliffe) died in hospital on November 13, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed." He first started attacking women in the 1960s but his first known murder was that of mother-of-four Wilma McCann in 1975. She was struck over the head with a hammer before being repeatedly stabbed by Sutcliffe. The other victims were killed in similarly brutal fashion. Sutcliffe continued his killing spree until November 1980. He was arrested after he was spotted driving with false number plates in January 1981. During his arrest, he told the officer he was "bursting for a pee" and briefly slipped away. The next day police returned to the scene of the arrest and discovered a knife, hammer and rope that had been discarded before he was brought to the station. All but two of Sutcliffe's murders took place in West Yorkshire. The others were in Manchester. He was also convicted over the attempted murder of seven other women. Sutcliffe was interviewed nine times during the course of the police investigation but continued to avoid arrest and carried on with his killings. The investigation was also thrown off course by a cruel hoax. John Humble sent detectives an anonymous tape and tricked police into believing the serial killer was a man nicknamed Wearside Jack, from the Sunderland area. Police then focused their search for a man with a north-east English accent. Former detective Bob Bridgestock, who was among 150 officers who worked on the hunt for Sutcliffe, said people would view the killer's death as "good news". He told BBC Radio 4's <em>Today </em>programme: "Peter Sutcliffe wasn't an intelligent killer - he was brutal. "He will be detested long after he is gone. There's also hatred - people have said, 'good news, good riddance'. "He destroyed people's lives." Asked about the bungled police investigation, Mr Bridgestock said: "Hindsight is a wonderful thing." Sutcliffe is said to have believed he was on a "mission from God" to kill prostitutes but not all of his victims were sex workers. The youngest victim was 16. 1. Wilma McCann, 28 - killed October 30, 1975 2. Emily Jackson, 42 - killed January 20, 1976 3. Irene Richardson, 28 - killed February 5, 1977 4. Patricia Atkinson, 32 - killed April 23, 1977 5. Jayne MacDonald, 16 - killed June 26, 1977 6. Jean Jordan, 20 - killed October 1, 1977 7. Yvonne Pearson, 21 - killed January 21, 1978 8. Helen Rytka, 18 - killed January 31, 1978 9. Vera Millward, 40 - killed May 16, 1978 10. Josephine Whitaker, 19 - killed April 4, 1979 11. Barbara Leach, 20 - killed September 20, 1979 12. Marguerite Walls, 47 - killed August 20, 1980 13. Jacqueline Hill, 20 - killed November 17, 1980
