Anguish of a father

Press, 9 May 1981, Page 8

Anguish of a father

NZPA-Reuter London The father of the selfconfessed killer, Peter Sutcliffe, has expressed sympathy for the families of his son’s victims. Speaking on behalf of his family, he said: “Their sorrow will be our sorrow and sadness forever.” Mr John Sutcliffe, a textile worker, said: “The greatest shadow hanging over us is the terrible suffering and the unspeakable anguish caused to the families and friends of the victims.” He did not wish to appear to condone “any of the horrendous things” done by his son, but he had been an “utterly selfless loving son and brother we all loved dearly and who loved us.”

Mr Sutcliffe said his son had been devoted to his mother, Kathleen. He weighed only 2.2 kg at birth, and as a schoolboy did not have the physique to enjoy rough-and-tumble childhood games. “Yet he was a happy little fellow in his own way, always obedient and rarely having to be chastised. At school he was not brilliant, but adequate all round and finally left with no special object in mind.” Mr Sutcliffe said the family had been proud of the way Peter had “worked things out and made his way in life” with a steady job, a beautiful home and, on the surface, a happy and uncom-

plicated marriage. "Can anyone possibly imagine how our world collapsed when he was arrested and charged with these horrible murders? “It is still almost incomprehensible to me. I have seen him and spoken to him on several occasions and he still seems a completely normal person, absolutely incommand of his situation and accepting the inevitability of che outcome with the greatest stoicism. "I can at least thank him for that. It has enabled me to do the same in what otherwise is the intolerable situation with which myself and my family have to learn to live.”