Last judgment for Sutcliffe

Anything less would have been an outrage, a betrayal of the victims' families and a mockery of justice.

The 63-year-old former lorry driver's horrific killing spree made him arguably the most notorious murderer of the 20th century and the pain and suffering he inflicted shocked the world.

Sutcliffe, who is now going by the name Peter Coonan, was convicted at the Old Bailey in 1981 and sentenced to 20 life terms for the murder of 13 women and the attempted murder of seven others in Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

He is likely to see out his days in Broadmoor top security psychiatric hospital, where he was transferred in 1984 after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

The impact of his brutality is being felt as keenly today as it was more than three decades ago when the attacks took place, and was eloquently illustrated by the deeply moving victim impact statements submitted to the court yesterday.

Such is Sutcliffe's notoriety, those families have never been able to move on from the crimes he inflicted on their loved ones – presiding judge Mr Justice Mitting made that clear when he said the "brutality and gravity of the offences speak for themselves", declaring that the case came "right at the top" of the serial killers serving whole life terms, including Rosemary West and Dennis Neilsen.

However, at least this latest court ruling should be the final one.

The endless appeals and administrative mistakes – his name was not on a 2006 Home Office list of 35 murderers serving "whole life" sentences and he was given no formal minimum term – have allowed Sutcliffe to continue to pursue his futile quest for release.

Not only has this been at great cost to the public purse, but most importantly it has left the families of victims unsure if there would ever be a day when he could be released.

Throughout the ordeal, the families have carried themselves with great dignity – Richard McCann, whose mother was murdered by the Ripper, said they had feared "for many years" that he may be set free.

Hopefully now this last judgment has been made, they can be assured that will never happen, and the final chapter of this dark case can be closed.