Yorkshire Ripper to challenge 'life' ruling

Mr Justice Mitting announced his decision in London on 16 July, ruling that the serial killer of 13 women must serve a "whole life" tariff.

A spokeswoman for the Judicial Communications Office confirmed yesterday that he has started appeal moves. No date has been fixed for a hearing.

She said: "I can now confirm that an application for leave to appeal the whole life order by Mr Justice Mitting has been lodged with the Court of Appeal."

Now known as Peter Coonan, the former lorry driver, 64, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, was convicted at the Old Bailey in 1981.

Sutcliffe received 20 life terms for the murder of 13 women and the attempted murder of others in Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

Mr Justice Mitting, when giving his ruling, said the murderer had caused "widespread and permanent harm to the living".

He said: "This was a campaign of murder which terrorised the population of a large part of Yorkshire for several years.

"The only explanation for it, on the jury's verdict, was anger, hatred and obsession. Apart from a terrorist outrage, it is difficult to conceive of circumstances in which one man could account for so many victims.

"Those circumstances alone make it appropriate to set a whole life term."

John Stainthorpe, a retired Huddersfield detective superintendent who worked on the Yorkshire Ripper investigation, said anyone with "any vestige of common sense" would never release Sutcliffe.

Mr Stainthorpe said: "I think that any judge or judges are most unlikely to release him. Releasing Sutcliffe, bearing in mind the extent of the damage he did to society, I just can't see anyone at all with any vestige of common sense doing it.

"The man is pure evil. There's no doubt about that."