A FORMER student has spoken about the panic at Leeds University in the aftermath of the death of Jacqueline Hill, who was killed by Peter Sutcliffe on November 17, 1980.

The body of 20-year-old Miss Hill, who was a student at Leeds University, was found near the Arndale Centre at Headingley.

"I knew who she was through a friend of mine," said Julia Chantrell, who was also a 20-year-old student on the same English course at Leeds University at the time. "My friend was absolutely flattened by the news of her death.

"That's when it hit home for me," said Mrs Chantrell, a long-time Yeadon resident. "There was a lot of panic amongst the students.

"I remember when the university started up the women's night bus.

"It was a mini-bus that would take ladies on their own or who were in pairs from the student union steps to their home.

"The driver would ask for our address and would literally take us to right outside our house. He would then wait until we shut the door behind us before driving off.

"That was quite good thing for us."

Although Mrs Chantrell said there was a lot of panic, the fact that all students rallied around and were protective of the female students created a positive atmosphere out of a tragedy.

"If you were walking home, all the male students wanted to make certain that the female students didn't go on their own.

"There was this feeling that they would do whatever they could to stop anything from happening to the women. That made the atmosphere very positive."

Mrs Chantrell, who is now 60, also described the feelings what it meant to be young woman living in fear.

"It's pretty much like it is with Covid now, living with that fear was always at the back of your mind.

"It would freak you out and you would panic, but it's astonishing how the human mind works.

"It's not in your conscious thoughts all the time, and most of the time you'd have to get on with your daily life."