'This little pain, of not having had justice': Yorkshire Ripper survivor says judicial system still lets women down

  • Watch this video report by ITV Anglia's Rebecca Haworth

A survivor from Bedford who is named as one of the likely victims of the Yorkshire Ripper says women who have been violently attacked are still being let down by the judicial system. 

Mo Lea now leads a successful life as an artist, but back when she was a student in Leeds in 1980, she was brutally attacked.

She believes the man who did it was Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper.

Credit: "After Evil" by Roberto Duque

Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Mo was named as one of the likely victims, but no charges were brought before his death last year. 

She believes little progress has been made to help support and encourage women to report crime to the police.

The government ordered a review into how West Yorkshire Police handled the investigation, known as the Byford Report which found: 

The report also made a string of recommendations that Mo believes have not been acted on. 

Mo Lea's animation of Lady Justice Credit: "After Evil" by Roberto Duque

To mark the 40th anniversary of Sutcliffe's conviction, one of her artworks was projected onto the Houses of Parliament to highlight the ongoing injustices for women. 

In response to this a Home Office Spokesman said:

Mo has been particularly disturbed by the controversy over how police handled a vigil for Sarah Everard, who was killed earlier this year.  Credit: ITV News Anglia

Mo is now supporting the work of a charity called "End Violence Against Women", which is trying to change the law to better support women who have been attacked.