Ex journalist who covered ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ case speaks of manhunt terror on podcast

A former journalist who reported on the 'Yorkshire Ripper' case has spoken about the fear that swept through newsrooms during the peak of the manhunt.

Neil Chapman was working at the Evening Gazette in 1980 when Peter Sutcliffe claimed his final victim, 20 year old student Jacqueline Hill from Middlesbrough. Speaking on the PRsonal podcast, Neil described the story as the most "harrowing" he covered during his journalism career. He remembered being at work when the news broke that Sutcliffe had struck again and that the serial killer's latest victim was a local woman.

"It would have been front page news anyway but the fact she was from Ormesby that was such a poignant thing as it brought home the terror that had really gripped much of the North over that horrible series of murders," he recalled on the podcast, produced by PR agency Harvey & Hugo.

After serving as a reporter and sub-editor at the Gazette, Neil transitioned into public relations. He's now promoting his own new podcast about his dad, a WW" fighter pilot.

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However, on the podcast, he remembered Sutcliffe's spree as the one story that remained etched in his memory particularly the impact it had on Jacqueline's mum, Doreen, and the staff at the Gazette. "Gazette reporters assigned to the story would talk about the behaviour of the national media.Neil recalled how individuals were "hounding Jacqueline Hill's grieving parents by shouting through their letterbox or posting letters with money offers, all trying to get them to talk and tell their story."

Following Sutcliffe's capture weeks later, Mrs Hill initiated a campaign to put an end to 'chequebook journalism', resulting in six newspapers being reprimanded for their dubious conduct. However, the murders left a lasting impact on the region's psyche.

"Before he was caught there were stories that he had been spotted in Darlington. Now how anyone 'saw' him, given nobody knew what he looked like, I don't know. But it is indicative of the irrationality that the fear caused," he said, adding safety measures were taken at the old Evening Gazette office in Borough Road.

One reporter had to work late, between 2pm and 10pm, usually on their own in the office building with the exit-entrance at the rear that anybody could walk in, as there were no locked doors or passes in those days. So. male reporters voted to work the late shift so their female colleagues didn't need to.

"It was a dark time," he said.

After being sentenced to life imprisonment, Sutcliffe passed away in 2020 at the age of 74 after contracting covid in County Durham's HMP Frankland.

Now winding down a successful career, Neil has recently launched his own podcast - Blighty Thank God - which explores the diaries of his late father, Flt Sgt Ron Chapman, during his stint as a WW2 fighter pilot. The 12-part programme is the culmination of six years of dedicated work, with each episode featuring diary excerpts read by Ron's grandchildren whom he never had the chance to meet.

To view this episode of PRsonal, click here.

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