The Shoe Print That Convicted the Yorkshire Ripper

From 1975 to 1980, the Yorkshire Ripper terrorized northern England, killing 13 women and attacking 7 more. One of the most intensive manhunts in British police history produced over 250,000 interviews, 32,000 statements, and five million vehicle checks — and failed to catch him. He was finally arrested on January 2, 1981, during a routine police stop in Sheffield.

His name was Peter Sutcliffe. He had been interviewed nine times during the investigation.

THE TRAFFIC STOP: Police Sergeant Robert Ring and Police Constable Robert Hydes stopped Sutcliffe's Rover V8 because it had false number plates. They took him in for questioning. While at the police station, a sharp officer remembered that the Yorkshire Ripper investigation had flagged a particular tire track and boot print type.

THE TRACE EVIDENCE: Over years of crime scene investigation, forensic examiners had recovered:

• Boot impressions at multiple murder sites, identified as a specific size Dunlop Gumboot
• Tire tracks at several scenes consistent with a limited range of vehicle types

These connections had never been enough on their own to identify a suspect. But combined with Sutcliffe's false plates and his inability to explain a trip to a red-light district, detectives returned to the crime site where Sutcliffe had been parked. There, they found a hammer and knife he had thrown over a wall.

THE CONFESSION: In custody, Sutcliffe confessed to all 13 murders. He was convicted in 1981 and sentenced to life imprisonment on 20 counts of murder and attempted murder.

THE LESSON: Shoe print evidence alone didn't catch Sutcliffe — but it had been quietly narrowing the field for years. Combined with luck and an alert officer's memory, it closed the case.

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Please like and subscribe for more investigations from The Evidence Log.