Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright has confessed to the murder of Victoria Hall, a 17-year-old who went missing over 25 years ago. Additionally, the 67-year-old serial killer admitted to attempting to kidnap Emily Doherty, who was 22 at the time, in Felixstowe a day before the murder.
Back in 2008, Wright, a former steward on the QE2, was given a rare whole life order for the savage killings of five Ipswich prostitutes, establishing him as one of the most infamous criminals in the country. Despite overwhelming evidence against him, Wright maintained his innocence in a letter to Anthony Bond shortly after his conviction.
Reflecting on that letter today, the disturbing lies and lack of compassion for the victims’ families are even more chilling. The brutal slayings of five young sex workers in Ipswich nearly two decades ago shook the nation. The bodies of Gemma Adams, 25, Tania Nicol, 19, Anneli Alderton, 24, Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29 were discovered in remote locations near Suffolk in a ten-day period in December 2006, all having been strangled or suffocated.
During that time, I was a reporter in Ipswich and covered the trial of the then 49-year-old Wright. Prosecutors alleged that he methodically targeted and killed the women after stalking the streets near his residence. Evidence such as DNA and fibers linked to his clothing, home, and vehicle were found on the victims.
Following his incarceration, Wright sent me a lengthy letter from the high-security Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire, sparking outrage among the victims’ families. In his correspondence, he suggested that the real killer was still at large, expressing sorrow for the victims’ families but denying any involvement in the crimes.
Now that Wright has confessed to murdering Victoria Hall, his deceitful assertions appear even more stark, with one particular paragraph from his letter resonating strongly. Brian Clennell, Paula’s father, reacted to the letter at the time, expressing disbelief at Wright’s claims of innocence given the substantial evidence against him.
As Wright comes clean about being a killer for the first time, the families of Gemma, Tania, Anneli, Paula, and Annette hope that he will also admit to their murders, providing closure after years of anguish.