Peter Sutcliffe, 63, murdered 13 women in between the 1970s and 80s. Soon, his letters to a Birmingham woman between 1985 and 1990 are to be sold at auction. Sick? Perhaps.

A few years ago, I read ‘Uncle Jack‘, a book by Tony Williams which poses the theory of his great uncle being ‘Jack the Ripper’. Although I expected no new evidence to what has already been previously discovered, I was still fascinated to know how Williams would create the connections in his family tree. Claiming that he is the first cousin five times removed to Sir John Williams (Jack), obstetrician to the Royal family and founder of the National Library of Wales, his theory could be a complete hoax. Or just an honest belief. Whatever the case, I enjoyed reading and turning every page. Because death, murder and mystery is intriguing.

So is there any wonder that romantic letters written by the Yorkshire Ripper to a woman in Birmingham are set to be auctioned off at a guide price of £450 to £500. Personally, I wouldn’t want to have anything that Peter (or Pete as he signed his letters) Sutcliffe has even touched within ten metres of my house. I wouldn’t want to touch the very paper and ink that he’s touched – but I would be intrigued to read them…

This is human nature. But the son of one of his victims has criticised the auction by Manchester-based Trafford Books. Richard McCann is the son of Wilma McCann, one of the 13 women killed by Sutcliffe.

“I can understand why people might be fascinated by someone so notorious as Peter Sutcliffe because you had the same thing with Jack the Ripper. Part of me is ok with that. What I am not ok with is with the fascination going so far as that somebody would want to make money from selling his letters.” — Richard McCann.

The auctioneers have not yet responded to Richard McCann’s comments. What do we think guys? Sick? Or just plain human? Oh, and the money part – who doesn’t want to make a bit of money eh. Chat to me on Facebook

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