A news agency journalist who claimed to be the first reporter to discover the identity of the Yorkshire Ripper has died at the age of 82.

Bradford-based Derek Crabtree, left, who worked for the family-run news agency in Bradford from 1968 to 1993, died in his sleep at his home in the West Yorkshire village of Idle on Monday.

The agency, which was founded by his grandfather John William Crabtree in 1916, covered news and sport for national newspapers and from 1968 was taken on by Derek in partnership with a former agency apprentice Donald Newton.

He claimed to be the first journalist to discover the identity of the Yorkshire Ripper when he found police surrounding Peter Sutcliffe’s home in Heaton.

Stanley Pearson, chairman of the Retired Telegraph & Argus Editorial Employees group, told the Bradford-based daily’s website : “He never lost touch with life after he retired.

“We made an exception making him a member because although he was not a T&A employee as such, he had worked day, noon and night supplying us with news.

“We often joked he deserved to be a member because he did more work single-handedly than half the newsroom together.”

Derek also had a part to play in saving the then Bradford Northern, now Bradford Bulls, from extinction when the rugby league team went bust in the early 1960s.

He and Northern legend Trevor Foster got together at Crabtrees’ office in Sunbridge Road and drafted a letter to the league bosses asking for a stay of execution.

“They called a meeting at St George’s Hall and the place was packed – as a result they saved Bradford Northern from extinction,” added Stanley.

After retiring alongside Donald Newton in 1993, the pair continued to help out but Donald died in 2006 and the agency closed in 2008.

In his retirement Derek had been registrar at Eccleshill Retired Men’s Forum.

Derek leaves a wife Marion, two daughters and four grandchildren.