Examining the police investigation into the crimes of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, and the missed opportunities to charge him for his earlier, unacknowledged crimes.
Episode one explores the murders of Judith Roberts in 1972 and Carol Wilkinson in 1977, and the two innocent men who were mistakenly charged with their killings.
The pressure continues to build on West Yorkshire Police as they step up the hunt for the killer, now being dubbed by the press, the Yorkshire Ripper. On top of the crimes that police decide to include in the Ripper investigation, murders and attempted murders with a clear link to the killer are discarded and left unsolved.
When a series of mysterious letters and tapes are received by the senior detectives, the investigation is derailed even further, allowing the Ripper to go on killing. Later, a third innocent man is sent to prison for life.
Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders begins Wednesday 23rd February at 9pm on ITV.