Video: Gag lifted as 'low risk' Yorkshire Ripper begins bid for freedom

A High Court judge set up a hearing to decide the minimum term he must remain in custody before parole can be considered.

During today's preliminary proceedings, it became clear that a whole-life tariff is among the options under consideration for Sutcliffe, currently held in a top security psychiatric hospital.

Mr Justice Mitting, sitting in London, was told that the killer, now 63, wished to attend the tariff-setting hearing in person.

Now known as Peter Coonan, the lorry driver from Bradford was convicted at the Old Bailey in London in 1981 for the murder of 13 women, and seven counts of attempted murder, in Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire.

It was said at his trial he believed he was on a "mission from God" to kill prostitutes, although not all of his victims were prostitutes.

He was dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper because he mutilated their bodies using a hammer, a sharpened screw driver and a knife.

The trial jury rejected his claim of diminished responsibility and found him guilty of murder.

Today Mr Justice Mitting, giving directions for the pending hearing, said: "A tariff will be set. Indeed it is long overdue."

Lifting an existing court order giving Sutcliffe anonymity, he ruled: "The press are at liberty to report the fact that these proceedings concern Peter Sutcliffe/Peter Coonan."

The tariff is the minimum term a convicted criminal must serve for the purposes of retribution and deterrence before becoming eligible for release on licence.

The Prime Minister said in February last year it was "very unlikely" Sutcliffe would be released.

Today the court heard that Justice Secretary Jack Straw was submitting cases for the tariff hearing in which whole-life terms had been set.

The judge indicated that "about 20 other cases might be relevant".

Sutcliffe is currently being held in Broadmoor in Berkshire after being transferred from prison in 1984 suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

At today's preliminary hearing, the judge rejected a call on Sutcliffe's behalf for fresh medical evidence about his psychiatric state at the time he committed his crimes to be considered as part of the tariff-setting exercise.

The court heard that Sutcliffe's treating doctor at Broadmoor, Kevin Murray, believed the killer should never have been convicted of murder because of mental illness.

But the judge said his report dealing with those issues was not admissible with regard to the length of the tariff, but could be considered in relation to his post-sentence conduct.

The treatment prescribed to Sutcliffe "has had in Dr Murray's view very considerable success", said the judge.