Peter Sutcliffe
Peter Sutcliffe was convicted in 1981 of the murder of 13 women in the UK Getty

Serial killer Peter Sutcliffe is to be moved to a high security prison from Broadmoor Mental Hospital where he has been an inmate for 32 years, according to reports on Thursday (11 August).

Sutcliffe, who was convicted in 1981 of the murder of 13 women and the attempted murder of seven more in a five year reign of terror across northern England, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1984 and moved to Broadmoor from HMP Parkhurst, which is based on the Isle of Wight.

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Sutcliffe, who has been attacked several times due to his notoriety, is likely to be housed in a small unit away from most other inmates when he returns to normal prison.

The 70-year-old was declared sane by a Mental Health Tribunal in December 2015, which sparked the process of potentially rehousing the serial killer in a Category A prison.

The decision to move Sutcliffe – now known as Peter Coonan – back to a standard prison will save the taxpayer an estimated £250,000 ($323,962) a year. At Broadmoor he has a room with a DVD player and TV, whereas in prison he will be serving alongside other lifers who will know his identity.

Keeping him at Broadmoor costs an estimated £300,000 a year whereas in a normal prison it will cost £50,000. Sutcliffe, one of 55 prisoners serving an entire life tariff, has cost the tax payer at least £10m in costs and legal fees since his conviction.

Possible destinations include Frankland Prison in Durham or HMP Woodhill near Milton Keynes, according to The Mirror. Sutcliffe, who suffers from diabetes, has previously said he will go on hunger strike if he is sent to a normal prison.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Decisions over whether prisoners are to be sent back to prison from secure hospitals are based on clinical assessments made by independent medical staff. The High Court ordered in 2010 that Peter Coonan [Sutcliffe] should never be released. This was upheld by the Court of Appeal. Our thoughts are with Coonan's victims and their families."