GORDON Brown says it is  "very unlikely" that Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe would be released.

Doctors at secure psychiatric hospital Broadmoor reportedly told the killer's lawyers that he was no longer dangerous.

If Justice Secretary Jack Straw agreed to classify him as low-risk, he could be moved to a medium-security prison and eventually released back into society.

But the Prime Minister said: "I don't think he will ever be released. Any prisoner held under the Mental Health Act will only be downgraded, as is suggested might happen, if the Mental Health Tribunal, which is independent, is satisfied that it's safe to do so.

"We're not aware of any tribunal being asked for or arranged in relation to this case.

"Obviously the tribunal would consider these issues but in my view it is very unlikely that anything is going to happen that is different from the sentence that has been imposed upon him."

Life sentences

Sutcliffe, from Bradford, was jailed in 1981 for murdering 13 women and trying to kill seven others in Yorkshire and Manchester.

He was given 20 life sentences and was told by the judge that he would serve a minimum of 30 years.

He began his sentence in prison but three years later was diagnosed with schizophrenia and transferred to Broadmoor.

His doctors are reportedly more concerned by the threat posed to his safety from the public than the threat he could pose to them.

Risk of attack

The husband of Olive Smelt, one of Sutcliffe's surviving victims, agreed the killer would be at risk of attack if he was ever released.

Harry Smelt, 84, said: "There are people out there who would be happy to accept the notoriety gained from topping him. I think he would be at terrible risk from some of those nutters."

But he said his wife had come to terms with the attack, and was unconcerned over Sutcliffe's potential release.

"She doesn't mind about what happens to him now at all. She's got to the stage where she couldn't care less," he said.

Mr Smelt said personally he thought Sutcliffe should remain in prison, but he had lost faith in the legal and prison system many years earlier.

He said: "He left 26 orphans, so how can anybody ever be punished for that adequately? The death sentence would have been too good for him. One just hopes that he rots in jail."

Incurable

Fabian Hamilton, MP for Leeds North East, in whose constituency many of the victims lived, said it was crucial that Sutcliffe remained in prison for the rest of his life.

Mr Hamilton said he would intervene to try to prevent Sutcliffe's release if necessary, but found it impossible to believe Jack Straw would want to free the serial killer.

He said: "Whenever Sutcliffe is in the news it will bring up the pain, the horror, the agony and the fear of the time when he was killing his victims.

"He is a very evil man, he has to remain in prison for the rest of his life, and I think that is highly likely.

"I think there are very few individuals in society, people like Sutcliffe, who have absolutely no morality and who are incurable, and I think Sutcliffe showed throughout his murderous career that he's one of those people for whom human life means nothing.

"People like that don't deserve human rights. they have shown by their actions they are not fit to be part of society, nor will they ever be."

Aghast

The suggestion that Sutcliffe may not spend his life in prison also provoked criticism from retired police officer Chris Gregg, who worked on four of the Ripper murders, as well as high profile cases such as Wearside Jack.

The former Detective Chief Superintendent of West Yorkshire Police said surviving victims would be "aghast" at the thought of Sutcliffe's freedom.

He said: "Like many people, I was staggered at the suggestion that Peter Sutcliffe could be considered for release. It is an affront to common sense if that does ever happen.

"He killed 13 people and attempted to kill seven others. If that doesn't warrant serving a whole life behind bars I don't know what does."

Mr Gregg, who retired last year as the head of West Yorkshire Police homicide and major crime inquiry team, where he was praised by his chief constable for outstanding work, said he believed Sutcliffe was comparable with murderers like Harold Shipman.

He said: "The only thing we should be discussing is the victims whose lives have been left in ruins by the actions of this man. There are some names synonymous with evil and Peter Sutcliffe is one of them."

Human rights

Last year Sutcliffe's lawyer Saimo Chahal claimed the Home Office disregarded his human rights because they failed to formally fix a tariff for his sentence.

Ms Chahal, who specialises in civil liberties and social welfare, also aimed to get Sutcliffe back into the prison system and has requested a reassessment of his psychiatric condition.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said she was unable to comment on individual cases.

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