An original black-and-white press wirephoto showing the secure police van carrying Peter Sutcliffe to the Central Criminal Court, commonly known as the Old Bailey, on 29 April 1981, at the opening of proceedings in the Yorkshire Ripper case.
The image records the dark, windowed prison vehicle turning outside the monumental entrance to the Old Bailey as police officers and members of the public watch from the pavement. The plain and heavily enclosed van dominates the composition, conveying the exceptional security and intense public attention surrounding Sutcliffe’s arrival.
The original typed transmission caption attached to the reverse states:
“General view of the plain police van taking Sutcliffe to the Old Bailey today.”
It additionally credits the photograph:
“Pic by Eric Roberts.”
The caption is timed 10.20 a.m. on 29 April 1981, while a separate archive date stamp confirms the same date. The reverse also bears a contemporary newspaper-library stamp, establishing its use as a working newsroom image.
Peter Sutcliffe appeared at the Old Bailey on 29 April 1981 charged with murdering thirteen women and attempting to murder seven others. During the hearing he pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility; he pleaded guilty to the seven attempted murders. The proposed manslaughter pleas were subsequently rejected by the trial judge, and the murder charges proceeded before a jury.
The full trial began on 5 May 1981. Sutcliffe was ultimately convicted of all thirteen murders and received twenty concurrent life sentences for the murders and attempted murders.
The present photograph therefore dates from a precisely identifiable and important stage in the proceedings: Sutcliffe’s first Old Bailey appearance, when his pleas were formally entered and the legal dispute over diminished responsibility became public.
Although Sutcliffe cannot be seen inside the enclosed vehicle, the image is specifically and contemporaneously identified by its original wire caption. The prison van, courthouse architecture, police presence and watching crowd together provide a strong documentary record of the security and publicity surrounding one of the most notorious British criminal trials of the twentieth century.
The wirephoto was electronically transmitted for rapid newspaper reproduction. Its original caption sheet, transmission time, named photographer and newsroom markings distinguish it from later reproductions and digital archive images.
This is a genuine period wirephoto and not a modern copy.
Good condition for an original working wirephoto. There is light age-related toning, minor surface marking and normal newsroom handling wear. Small marginal creases, slight edge and corner wear and gentle curvature are present. A short surface mark or crease is visible towards the lower-right portion of the image.
The reverse retains the original typed transmission caption, which displays age toning, light creasing, minor staining and adhesive-related wear. The contemporary newspaper-library stamp and date of 29 April 1981 remain visible.
The wire-transmitted image retains good clarity and contrast, with the police van, Old Bailey façade, officers and spectators all clearly defined.
Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.
Subject: Police van carrying Peter Sutcliffe to the Old Bailey
Date: 29 April 1981
Transmission time: 10.20 a.m.
Location: Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London
Photographer: Eric Roberts
Event: Peter Sutcliffe’s first Old Bailey appearance
Provenance: British newspaper photographic archive
Size: 26.6 × 20.8 cm
Format: Original black-and-white press wirephoto
Process: Electronically transmitted newspaper photograph
Documentation: Original typed transmission caption attached verso
This is a strong trial-related image with several advantages over a routine institutional or police photograph:
MAP DRAWER C YR FOLDER
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