THE Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe went down in history as one of the most vicious killers, brutally murdering 13 women.
George Oldfield was the lead investigator into the series of murders – here’s everything about him.
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Who was George Oldfield?
Godfrey Alexander Oldfield, known professionally as George Oldfield, was a British police detective, most famously involved in the inquiry into the Yorkshire Ripper series of murders.
Oldfield was born October 10, 1923, as a youngest of four children.
In 1947, he joined the West Riding Police, specialising in the Criminal Investigation Department, making his way up the ranks.
He married Margaret Curtis in 1954, and had four children, one of which died of leukaemia aged six.
Oldfield’s health significantly declined while working on the Yorkshire Ripper case.
The pressure of the job, as well as wide-spread media criticism, lead him to have a second heart attack in 1983 and having to take several months off from work.
MORE ABOUT THE YORKSHIRE RIPPER
It was announced in July 1983 that Oldfield was to retire at the end of August due to his deteriorating health.
He finished his career as an Assistant Chief Constable with West Yorkshire Police.
George Oldfield died on July 4, 1985, aged 61, at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, of congestive heart failure.
What happened during the Yorkshire Ripper case?
In 1975, several women were found brutally murdered or horrifically injured in Leeds and Bradford.
Oldfield took the lead in the inquiry, working as Assistant Chief Constable at the time.
After a number of attacks, the police confirmed they are looking for one man associated with all cases, and gave him the nickname the Yorkshire Ripper.
Oldfield became obsessed with solving the case and finding the murderer, working long hours and taking little leave.
In June 1979, Oldfield received a tape recording and letters in which Wearside Jack, a hoaxer, taunted Oldfield personally for being unable to catch him and claimed to be the murderer.
The tape contained a personal message for Oldfield, which said: “Lord, you are no nearer catching me now than four years ago when I started.
“I reckon your boys are letting you down George. You can’t be much good can ya?”
George Oldfield was convinced the real murderer had sent the tape and put a lot of time and police resources to northeast Sunderland, as the accent from the tape pointed to that area.
Voice experts and other detectives warned him the tape might be a hoax, but Oldfield pressed on, convinced this was his man.
On August 6, 1979, Oldfield fell ill with a chest infection and had to be taken off the investigation.
He was off work for more than four months and suffered a heart attack during that time.
When Peter Sutcliffe was arrested by South Yorkshire Police in Sheffield in January 1981, the police finally managed to connect him to the murders, finding out he was the Yorkshire Ripper.
As Sutcliffe was not connected to Sunderland, it became apparent that the letters and tape had been sent as a distraction.
Oldfield did not attend Sutcliffe’s trial at the Old Bailey in London but he still believed the letters and tape were somehow connected to the killer.
What other major police cases did George Oldfield work on?
During his time as a Detective Chief Superintendent, George Oldfield took command of the investigation into an IRA bomb that killed 12 people travelling onboard a coach on the M62 motorway in February 1974.
The investigation found Judith Ward to have orchestrated the bombing after she confessed.
Ward was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The success of the investigation significantly boosted Oldfield’s reputation and he was promoted to an Assistant Chief Constable for Crime at West Yorkshire Police.
In 1992, seven years after his death, Ward’s conviction was overturned as the forensic tests were discredited and her confession found to be the product of mental illness.
The Court of Appeal strongly criticised Oldfield for not disclosing a series of interviews with Ward to her defence team.
