I was driven to kill by ‘the voice’ – I heard it from walls & thought it was God talking to me, says Yorkshire Ripper
SUTCLIFFE always insisted that he killed because a voice in his head told him to.
He was convinced it was from God.
But what exactly was “the voice”? What did it sound like and what did it say?
He explained: “The voice can also come and talk to me about everyday routine things.
“I might be trying to think of doing something and then all of a sudden the voice will say, ‘what about this’ or ‘have you thought about . . .’
"I know it’s me thinking these thoughts, but it is a voice that gives me the answer, it tells me what I need to know.
“The voice gives me advice.
"It interferes with you all the time, it’s telling you things that you’ve got to do, instructions.
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“And you can’t shut it out, can’t block your ears.
"It knew it wasn’t appropriate to give me these messages regularly when I was driving the truck.
“But even though I believed what I believed at the time I still was in kind of awe of it, sort of dread, because I was half expecting what it was gonna be saying.
"You can’t shut it up.”
Sutcliffe revealed that he would often hear the voice for a couple of days ahead of an attack.
Other times it might be just a few hours.
He explained: “It was usually similar in that it could be two or three days before an attack.
"It was a steady build-up and then I did the attack.
Once I had killed, that was it – it was a release from the pressure, it was over.
Peter Sutcliffe
“But it can sometimes be over a couple of hours. It can be that quick.
“I might have been hearing the voices for a few days, but once it felt like I was primed I couldn’t stop myself.
“When it started escalating, at the start I could stop myself, but after a while I couldn’t stop myself.
“I couldn’t fight it.
"Once I had killed, that was it – it was a release from the pressure, it was over.
“I knew what I was doing, it was controlled, there were only a couple of times when it wasn’t.
“When I wasn’t fully primed for the mission, I got really angry at what I had to do.
“It is a clear voice, I know it’s in my head, but it is a clear voice.
The voice gives me advice. It interferes with you all the time, it’s telling you things that you’ve got to do, instructions.
Peter Sutcliffe
“It’s a male, authoritative voice.
"It seemed to come from things, trees, walls.
“It’s not like anyone I’ve ever known.
"It doesn’t remind me of my dad or anyone else I can pinpoint.”
Sutcliffe told how on one occasion he disobeyed the voice and refused to carry out an attack.
He said: “I was on my way to Leeds and I were changing up and down the gears, arguing with God.
“I went faster and slower, and I managed to turn round and go back, and he said, ‘I know that I can see you’re not ready’, because I used to have to be primed up to it.
“I went back home and I was so relieved when I got back home when I’d not gone through with it.
I didn’t know it was schizophrenia, I didn’t know what it was, I just thought it was a miracle.
Peter Sutcliffe
“I didn’t know it was schizophrenia, I didn’t know what it was, I just thought it was a miracle.
“I didn’t know best, but I believed I did.
"That was the dangerous thing about me, believing what was happening to me was a miracle – divinely inspired.
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“At the beginning I could fight against it. I could try and stop myself from doing what I was going to be doing.
“But as time went on it was harder and harder to fight the urge and I couldn’t stop myself.”
