Another ripper
The five women found dead near Ipswich, all prostitutes, all murdered within a few days of each other, has brought back memories of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe. I was working on Yorkshire newspapers at the time. I covered some of the attacks and attended the press conference in Dewsbury when the police announced that they had their man.
It was a dark time when women were afraid to walk out alone. Sutcliffe should have been caught much earlier. Much has changed in the interim. Card indexing files have been replaced by computers. There are many more CCTV cameras around today and DNA testing has come of age. It is inconceivable that the killer of these young women will be at large for long.
I heard a woman speaking on the radio this morning, saying that the victims should not be described as prostitutes but as "sex workers". It was a silly argument. She was suggesting, and I understand what she says, that the word "prostitute" has become loaded with derogatory baggage.
But should you avoid words simply because of the meaning they convey in the minds of some people? That some will make certain judgements about prostitutes is not going to disappear if you take away the noun and replace it with a different noun. Prostitutes sell sex. It's what they do whether we approve or disapprove.
The more important point is that there should be no distinction between the life of a prostitute and that of any other citizen. While the law upholds this point, I know that, in reality, not all will agree. Even the police, at times, can betray a "hierarchy of worth."
Many years ago I was assaulted on a train. When I was interviewed by a police officer he rang through to another force in an attempt to secure an arrest. Describing me on the telephone , he assured his fellow officer that I was "no toe rag". Presumably toe rags, whoever they may be, can expect a lower level of justice.
But I don't believe that such judgements will apply in this case. The public and police want this killer caught. The prospect of another Yorkshire Ripper is unimaginable.
It was a dark time when women were afraid to walk out alone. Sutcliffe should have been caught much earlier. Much has changed in the interim. Card indexing files have been replaced by computers. There are many more CCTV cameras around today and DNA testing has come of age. It is inconceivable that the killer of these young women will be at large for long.
I heard a woman speaking on the radio this morning, saying that the victims should not be described as prostitutes but as "sex workers". It was a silly argument. She was suggesting, and I understand what she says, that the word "prostitute" has become loaded with derogatory baggage.
But should you avoid words simply because of the meaning they convey in the minds of some people? That some will make certain judgements about prostitutes is not going to disappear if you take away the noun and replace it with a different noun. Prostitutes sell sex. It's what they do whether we approve or disapprove.
The more important point is that there should be no distinction between the life of a prostitute and that of any other citizen. While the law upholds this point, I know that, in reality, not all will agree. Even the police, at times, can betray a "hierarchy of worth."
Many years ago I was assaulted on a train. When I was interviewed by a police officer he rang through to another force in an attempt to secure an arrest. Describing me on the telephone , he assured his fellow officer that I was "no toe rag". Presumably toe rags, whoever they may be, can expect a lower level of justice.
But I don't believe that such judgements will apply in this case. The public and police want this killer caught. The prospect of another Yorkshire Ripper is unimaginable.
Labels: CCTV, Dewsbury, DNA, indexing, Ipswich, killer, Peter Sutcliffe, police, press, prostitute, radio, sex, toe rag, victims, Yorkshire Ripper
posted by Richard Donkin at
3:48 PM
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