Peter William Coonan is an English serial killer who was dubbed the "Yorkshire Ripper" by the press. In 1981, Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others.

Sutcliffe had allegedly regularly used the services of prostitutes in Leeds and Bradford. When interviewed by authorities, he claimed that the voice of God had sent him on a mission to kill prostitutes. Sutcliffe carried out his murder spree over five years, during which time the public were especially shocked by the murders of women who were not prostitutes.[citation needed] After his arrest for driving with false number plates in January 1981, the police questioned him about the killings and he confessed to being the perpetrator.