Peter Sutcliffe.
Peter Sutliffe also knows as the Yorkshire Ripper committed a series of horrific crimes through 1970s and 1980s in the North of England. Sutcliffe murdered 13 women was convicted attempted murder of 7 others. Initially trawling the Red light districts in the North England picking up prostitutes and murdering them in horrific hammer attacks, later mutilating their remains. Later is his appalling career Sutcliffe became frustrated by the increasing police presence in and around his hunting around turned too murdering random members of the public. He was finally caught by chance in 1981 by a probationary constable doing a routine check. Sutcliffe is incarcerated in Broadmoor maximum security hospital and will never be released.
Fred & Rose West
Not strictly one person of course but worth of inclusion together. Fred & Rose West committed a number of murders from the 1960s. 1970s and 1980s. Fred was responsible for at least two murders, including his first wife Reena Costello by the time he met the 15 year old Rosemarie Letts in 1969. During the 35 years at least 10 young girls suffered murderous assaults at the hands of the West's including the couple's eldest daughter Heather and Fred West's step daughter Charmaine. The couple were finally caught by the persistence of the Gloucester police in particular Detective Hazel Savidge who had help suspicions about the family since the 1960's. Fred West hung himself while awaiting trial on New Year's Day 1995. It is unknown how many victims of the West's are undiscovered.
Jack the Ripper.
Jack the Ripper is the name of the unknown serial killer active who murdered at least 5 women in the East End of London during the Autumn of 1888. Jack operated in a very small area of London called Whitechapel and like many serial killers targeted the working girls of the area who were often suffering from appalling deprivation and often alcoholism. Jack's methods included the severing the throat and horribly mutilating his victims at lightning speed. His last victim, Mary Kelly was, unlike the others in her 1920's and was mutilated in her own lodgings to the point she was completely unrecognisable as a human being to those who found her. Despite outlandish theories no one has been ever proved to be Jack the Ripper and his identity remains a mystery.
Steven Wright
Steven Wright sometimes known as the Suffolk Strangler was the perpetrator of the most audacious and fast period of serial killing. From October to December 2006 Wright killed 5 vulnerable young women with drug dependencies in the Suffolk town of Ipswich. Most of the young women paid for their drug dependency by working as prostitutes in the Ipswich red light district. The victims bodies were often dumped in or near rivers which made it hard to find evidence of the killers identity. However due to the breakthrough's in DNA Steven Wright was identified as the killer and is now serving a life sentence without parole.
Dennis Nilsen
Dennis Nilsen was a serial killer that operated in the gay venues of London in the 1970's and 1980's and was responsible for the deaths of 15 you gay men. Nilsen had a exceptionally bizarre attitude to death and would kill his victims with the purpose of treating them as treating them if they were alive, sometimes dressing and bathing them. When the smell of decomposition became too strong Nilsen would burn and smash their remains. On moving to a new property this became an impossibility and her turned to flushing remains down the toilet. Nilsen was caught when an sanitation engineer discovered lumps of human flesh in the drains near his flat.