Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe ‘left two plots of land by admirer’

Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe may have had a secret nest egg in the form of two plots of land given to him by an admirer, his brother revealed yesterday.

Mick Sutcliffe has said that a fellow prisoner of his brother claims to have seen land titles land in Scotland under the name Ripper, apparently intended for a housing estate.

But details of the serial killer’s will have been kept secret from his family by his remarried ex-wife Sonia Woodward. Sutcliffe died in November, aged 74, after contracting Covid-19.

Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, pictured with wife Sonia, may have had a secret nest egg in the form of two plots of land given to him by an admirer

Mr Sutcliffe said Ms Woodward, who allegedly held a power of attorney over the Ripper affairs, did not share details of the funeral. He also thinks his brother might have wanted to convey something sentimental to him.

Ms Woodward, 70, still owns and spends much of her time in the £ 279,000 detached house in Bradford where she was living with Sutcliffe when he was arrested.

A few days ago, she was seen waiting at a bus stop near the house – the first time she has been seen in public since Sutcliffe’s death. Mr Sutcliffe, 70, said he was briefed on the land in a letter sent a week ago by a friend of his brother’s at HMP Frankland, Co Durham.

A woman called Pauline allegedly gave the land to Sutcliffe years ago while he was on Broadmoor with gang killer Ronnie Kray, who allegedly offered to buy the land from him. The Mail cannot verify the authenticity of the letter and no further details are known on the ground in Scotland.

The inmate, to whom Mr Sutcliffe asked not to be named, wrote: ‘As to the two plots of land in Scotland this looked like plots to build on as the map was presented as a housing estate and the title deeds were with Peter. original name Sutcliffe.

“So it must have been a long time ago when Pauline bought it for him. He even told me a story about one of the Kray twins wanting to buy him the land.

A few days ago, Sonia Woodward was seen waiting at a bus stop near the house – the first time she has been seen in public since Sutcliffe’s death

Mr Sutcliffe said: ‘[The letter] It was the first I heard about it because Peter never told me himself. His friend said he knew it was just because he saw the deeds.

The killer’s brother said speculation surrounding the estate was due to Sonia Woodward’s inability to communicate with the family.

Mr Sutcliffe, a grandfather, who lives in Bingley, West Yorkshire, said: ‘I haven’t spoken to Sonia for 40 years, but I would like to do so now. I suspect she knows a lot more than I can even begin to think about what questions to ask. She has been so secretive all this time that I wonder what she knows.

“ It wasn’t until Peter got sick that I realized I had no control and everything had to go through Sonia.

“ I had to learn on the news that he had Covid-19 and even when he died. Until then, I would phone and talk to Peter every Monday. Sonia hadn’t even spoken to Peter for five years.

Mr Sutcliffe said he knew the details of the last will will eventually be made public, but would like to speak to his former sister-in-law about ‘what is happening to his property’.

He added: ‘I would like to know if there was anything Peter wanted me to have. I know what he did was monstrous, but he was also my brother and I should have rights.

“I don’t think Peter would have wanted that.

The Mail was unable to contact Ms Woodward for comment.

Sutcliffe was transferred from Broadmoor to Frankland, a high security facility, in 2016, after being considered no longer mentally ill. He was sentenced to 20 life sentences in 1981 for murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven others.