Inquest into death of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe awaiting official report

Sutcliffe died in hospital on November 13 last year from a combination of Covid-19 and heart disease. He was also blind and required the use of a wheelchair.

At the time of his death, the inmate was serving a whole life term for the heinous murders of 13 women across Yorkshire and Manchester between 1975 and 1980.

Sutcliffe was imprisoned at the maximum-security HMP Frankland in County Durham and died at the University Hospital of North Durham.

His inquest was opened on November 20 and continued at Crook Civic Centre today under the name Peter William Coonan, which Sutcliffe changed to in prison.

Crispin Oliver, assistant coroner for County Durham and Darlington, presided over the short hearing, which lasted only three minutes.

He said: "I'm going to recite, on to the court record, various details of the investigation thus far.

"I'm going to confirm certain details for the forward progression of the case in terms of next hearings.

"On November 20, 2020, I opened the case. I heard evidence from a police officer and I heard evidence from a coroner's officer about the cause of death."

The coroner said the cause of death was "essentially Covid-19" while diabetes and heart disease were "incidental" to that.

Those details were outlined at the inquest opening last year.

Mr Oliver added: "I can confirm that the probation prison ombudsman's report is still pending and I'm awaiting that.

"I can confirm that it's now established that Peter William Sutcliffe changed his name by deed poll on May 14, 2001, to Peter William Coonan.

"Henceforth in this inquest, he will be referred to as Peter William Coonan, previously known as Peter William Sutcliffe."

Mr Oliver told the court there will be further hearings in March and May.

Sutcliffe's killing spree began in October 1975 with 28-year-old mother-of-four Wilma McCann, who was hit with a hammer and stabbed 15 times.

He was interviewed nine times during the course of a huge investigation but continued to avoid arrest and was able to carry on killing.

Over the next five years, Sutcliffe claimed the lives of 12 more innocent women before finally being apprehended by police in Sheffield for driving with false number plates.

He was convicted in 1981 and spent three decades at the high-security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor Hospital before being moved to HMP Frankland in 2016.

Sutcliffe, a former lorry driver from Bradford is said to have refused treatment for Covid-19 and to have also been dealing with several other health problems.

On the day of his death, West Yorkshire Police apologised for the "language, tone and terminology" used in the 1970s to describe some of the killer's victims.