Peter Sutcliffe going to normal prison

Apparently it's going to save a lot of money maybe they think savings have to be made so why keep a killer of 13 women in a hospital any longer or maybe they think he s been winging it all the time or maybe they have him stable on certain drugs that can be administered anywhere

If I remember correctly there was a significant amount of doubt at the time as to whether he really was suffering from schizophrenia; his wife was and it was suspected that he used his knowledge of her condition and how it affected her to justify being hospitalised for his crimes rather than be sent to prison.

If he has been putting on an act all of this time he's done a pretty convincing job of it. Perhaps the victims' families if they doubted his defense, will be pleased to learn that he'll spend the rest of his life in prison.

I have a feeling that he will not take too kindly to the move because it will be a very different life. I cannot see him being treated well by the other prisoners.

I worked with the forensic psychiatrist who assessed him at the time and he felt PS was clearly suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. He was charged with murder as it was felt that the public would accept no other charge but manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility would have been more appropriate apparently.

I've also read that Sutcliffe did not have schizophrenia at the time of his imprisonment. This, I thought, was well known at the time; however his plea was of manslaughter, not murder. He claimed diminished responsibility based on hearing voices from God but I'm fairly sure this was discounted at the time. He was jailed for murder.

I've no idea why he was sent to Broadmoor. Isn't Brady there too? Maybe things have changed. Perhaps the sentencing was based on different factors back then.

Anyhow, I'm sure he'll have a very difficult time in prison.

The trouble is that when people are being assessed the assessor only knows what they are like at that point not what they were like when "normal" I've just seen someone I know very well being assessed as compos mentis when in fact they are behaving completely out of character.

I seem to remember three psychiatrists diagnosed him as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. He has been on anti psychotic medication for a long time. I assume he was sent to Broadmoor because he was judged to be clinically insane. He was also subjected to attacks in prison, in one of which he lost an eye.

Brady is in one of the Liverpool secure mental health units I think. I can't recall what his diagnosis was but it I suspect both he and Myra have/ had psychopathic personality disorders.

Having a treatable mental health problem, like schizophrenia, doesn't exclude the individual also having a personality disorder.

Very easy to fake mental health symptoms if you've done your homework.

But, can people who commit such crimes be sane? Or is there such a thing as evil?

I would query whether it is possible to treat schizophrenia based on living with a parent who had this condition. Keep it under control, for some people, for some of the time, just possibly,

I'm with you Anya, it is easy to fake mh symptoms if you have done your homework. The fact Sutcliffe has remained in special hospital all this time does suggest he's needed medicating - who knows.

As a younger woman, I did not believe that people who commit such crimes could be sane. I no longer believe that. Evil is such a powerful word. Whatever it is called, I believe a small number of people are capable of evil behaviour and that they choose to do so.

So far as your third statement - I query whether it's possible to successfully and in the long term maintain, treatment for people with personality disorders

We only live a few minutes away from Broadmoor so it's always nice to know there's one less serial killer around.

I used to work with a girl who washed Peter Sutcliffe's car for pocket money. She said he always seemed perfectly normal in those days.

I doubt if the experienced clinicians at Broadmoor are daft enough to be fooled by someone faking the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. Nobody is in Broadmoor for any longer than they have to be. How about giving all the psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurses some credit rather than what a car washing teenager said!!

There's also fairly compelling evidence that attributes other murders committed outside of Yorkshire to Sutcliffe. These murders remain unsolved and occurred at a time Sutcliffe was driving his lorry throughout the country.

I believe he faked his symptoms. His wife Sonia had mental health problems herself and he would have been well-placed to emulate some of her symptoms in the quest for a diminished responsibility verdict.

I do not believed he faked such a serious illness for all those years and I believe murders are carried out by people with mental health disorders ,

I don't suppose Sutcliffe's medical records will be released to the public, so this is speculation.

He is pure evil, put him where he belongs, in prison. He destroyed many lives, especially the victims families. It really does not bother me whether he gets a bad time from the prisoners or not.

Psychiatry is not an exact science. There is no 'test' for madness or mental illness, yet. And it is equally possible also for those with mental illnesses to convince professionals they are 'cured' and safe to be released......only to kill again.

It's happened before and it will again.

I don't care where he is, but think only mentally ill people carry out these kinds of repetitive crimes.

There is a great deal of evil in the world and there are also many people suffering from mental illness and whilst this is not necessarily the same thing sadly all of this causes a great deal of grief and misery to many people.
I have no knowledge of PC's condition or circumstances but just hope that he is made to keep taking whatever medication he needs and the public continues to be protected from him. He will assuredly not find prison to be a bed of roses.

PS not PC

I agree Anya, can anyone who commits such crimes be sane or are some people just evil ? A lot of money will be saved by moving Sutcliffe to an ordinary prison and his life will be much more restricted. Think it will be very difficult for staff working with him.

Are all ISIS rapist and killers suffering from mental illness or have they tapped into a part of the human pysche that is viscious and evil? What about those who slaughtered over 4000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica, or the Jewish mothers and children gassed in camps, Pol Pot, Assad?

Evil or mentally il?

If he has a severe mental illness should there be rejoicing that he will suffer more in a prison

He clearly suffers from a severe and enduring mental illness. He will have been treated with very heavy duty antipsychotic medication. It is not possible to fake symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia while under such medication and detailed scrutiny for so many years.
He is sufficiently under control to be discharged to ordinary jail but will still be monitored by medical staff there.
Sorry amateur clinicians among you but he was not faking this illness.

Then he should not be moved to a prison, he is being punished for being mentally ill