by Gordon Burn
A 13-year-old boy told today of his horror when he spotted the battered girl. He said: ‘I heard a moaning noise and then I saw a leg sticking out from behind a dustbin. I went closer and saw the girl. She was covered in mud and she had blood all over her legs.’
A man was arrested the following day.
Acknowledgements
Most of those who, through their co-operation, enabled me to write this book did so on the understanding that it was to be a fair and honest attempt to establish the truth about Peter Sutcliffe and the events surrounding his life.
Fact and fiction had become hopelessly blurred in the weeks and months following Sutcliffes arrest, largely as a result of newsmen offering hard cash for good copy. And many of those who talked to me did so in the hope of setting the record straight. No money was ever offered for information; money, with one or two notable exceptions, was never asked for, and none was ever paid.
As the text will show, I am particularly indebted to John Sutcliffe, his sons Michael and Carl, and his daughters Mrs Maureen Holland and Mrs Jane Ellis for allowing me into their lives for what, in the end, turned out to be almost two years, for their unfailing hospitality during that time and for their willingness to confront what must have often been distressing, embarrassing or unsettling for them.
It is to their credit that they set no conditions on what might and might not be talked about and were prepared to submit to long, frequently circuitous interviews conducted, in some cases, over a period of several months.
A number of people who helped in my research prefer to remain anonymous, and real names have been replaced by pseudonyms in the cases of Allan Wright and John Sutcliffes oldest daughter, Anne, in order to protect the privacy of her family.
Among those whose assistance was invaluable, though, and whom I can name, are: Laurie Ashton and Cath Ashton; Ronald Barker; Mrs Marie Bell; Mrs Barbara Brown; Anthony Davies; Mrs Marion Dean; Sammy Foulds; Mr and Mrs Jack Hawkes; Robin Holland; Gary Jackson; Douglas Mctavish; Louie Melgram; Dr Hugo Milne; Bill Moore; Eric Robinson; Mr and Mrs Rex Squires; Keith Sugden and Doreen Sugden.
I owe a particular debt of gratitude to Mrs Doreen Hill and her solicitor, Mr Anelay Hart, and to Mrs Anna Rogulskyj.
I would also like to thank Mrs Margaret Davies and the staff of Bingley library for their knowledge and their patience; Peter Holdsworth, librarian of the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, and Julie OHare and Clive Entwistle of Yorkshire Television.
Many people, through their generosity and friendship, made the researching of this book a far pleasanter experience than it would otherwise have been. In addition to many of those already mentioned, I would particularly like to thank Terry Jackman and his staff at the Fleece Hotel, Bingley; Shawn and Gill Smith; Fred and Margaret Carby; Denise and Billy Bailey; Sam Bailey, and Peter Carrington.
The Sunday Times Insight team generously made their files on the case available.
Louise Bloomfield and David Robson read the book at proof stage; and Richard Simon, Vivien Green and David Godwin believed in it when everybody else didnt.
Belief and unstinting support and encouragement is something for which I would also like to thank John Tennant, Paul Green and Bruce Bernard. Carol Gorners contribution is too enormous ever to be set down on paper, so I would just like to thank her for her wisdom, companionship and love.
About the Author
Gordon Burn was the author of four novels, Alma Cogan (winner of the Whitbread First Novel Prize), Fullalove, The North of England Home Service and Born Yesterday. He was also the author of the non-fiction titles Somebody’s Husband, Somebody’s Son, Pocket Money, Happy Like Murderers, On The Way to Work (with Damien Hirst) and Best and Edwards. His last book, Sex & Violence, Death and Silence, was a collection of his essays on art.
Copyright
This ebook edition published in 2010
by Faber and Faber Ltd
Bloomsbury House
74–77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA
All rights reserved
© Gordon Burn, 1984
The right of Gordon Burn to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Nothing in this book should be taken as an indication that Mrs Sonia Szurma-Sutcliffe endorses or approves any of the contents of this book nor that she has approved the use of extracts from her statement to the Press Council in this book.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–26504–6
