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Excerpt
from Some Mother’s Daughter, The Hidden Movement of Prostitute
Women Against Violence, International Prostitutes Collective,
Crossroads Books 1999, pp49-51. 1981:
The trial of the Yorkshire Ripper, serial murderer Peter Sutcliffe, who
murdered 13 women. PROSTITUTES
ARE INNOCENT OK! We
are picketing today to protest against the handling of the Ripper case --
by the court, the police and the media. Attorney General condones murder of prostitutesThe Attorney General Sir Michael Havers
(prosecuting) said of the Ripper's victims that "some were
prostitutes, but perhaps the saddest part of this case is that some were
not. The last six attacks were on totally
respectable women." (Our
emphasis) This distinction between prostitutes and
"respectable" and "innocent" victims has been made all
along by the police and the media - the murder of prostitute women seems
irrelevant and unimportant. This attitude towards prostitutes, much the
same as the Ripper's, allowed him to carry on murdering women for five
years. Is the Attorney General suggesting that if the Ripper had
restricted himself to prostitutes his "mission to clean up the
streets" would have been more acceptable? Such criminal
comments and the media's acceptance of them are an incitement to
murder women. Prostitutes have families too It is disgusting that the victims and their families are treated with no
respect by the court, the police and the
media. Prostitutes have parents and children too -- 23 children are
now motherless because of the Ripper. How must they feel to hear their
mothers insulted and vilified in court and in the press? How must they
feel about Sutcliffe's relatives making a lot of money for telling the
story of their mothers' murderer? Police
on trial The police have been inexcusably
biased and incompetent: •
Nothing was done for the first two
years and four murders when all the victims were • The
police only started to pay attention when the first
"respectable" woman was killed in 1977. • They
were completely thrown off track by the tape and the letter [a hoax sent
by someone pretending to be the Ripper]. • They
questioned Sutcliffe nine times and each time let him go. •
They ignored information from Sutcliffe's friend. •
When the last victim's handbag was found, the search wasn't pursued
because "it was a cold night, very windy and difficult to see
anything." The weather has never stopped them arresting and harassing
prostitutes, how come it stopped them pursuing the Ripper that night? At the moment you'd think the
villain of the piece is what the press called his "cold" and
"nagging" wife. Yet 13 women need not have died if the police
had done their job. What other blunders did they make that the public
doesn't even know about? Why is there an internal investigation into
Ronald Gregory, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire? Other people in high
places have already expressed their concern. Two MPs have already demanded
that the Home Secretary orders an inquiry into the police handling of the
case. We
demand
1. A public inquiry into the police handling of the case. The public is entitled to know how the £4m allocated to this case was spent. 2. A public apology from the Attorney General to the families of the prostitute victims. 3. An
end to bias and sensational media coverage. All human life is
"respectable". 4. An end to bias and discrimination against prostitutes by the police and the
courts. 5.
Compensation for the victims and their families -- especially for
their children -- from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.
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