Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright has confessed to the murder of Victoria Hall, a 17-year-old girl who went missing over 25 years ago. The 67-year-old serial killer also admitted to attempting to kidnap Emily Doherty, then 22, in Felixstowe the day before.
Back in 2008, Wright, a former steward on the QE2, received a rare whole life order for the brutal killings of five Ipswich prostitutes, solidifying his status as one of the nation’s most infamous criminals. Despite overwhelming evidence against him, Wright maintained his innocence in a letter to Anthony Bond shortly after his conviction.
The slayings of five young sex workers in Ipswich almost two decades ago shook the nation to its core. The victims, Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell, and Annette Nicholls, were discovered dead in remote locations near Suffolk town within a ten-day span in December 2006, all having been strangled or suffocated.
During that period, as a reporter in Ipswich, I covered Wright’s trial, where prosecutors detailed how he meticulously chose and murdered the women after prowling the streets near his residence. Evidence including DNA and fibers linked to Wright’s clothing, home, and vehicle were found on the victims.
Following his incarceration, Wright penned a three-page letter from Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire that sparked outrage among the victims’ families. In the letter, he insinuated that the real killer was still at large, expressing sorrow for the victims but denying his guilt.
Now, with Wright’s admission to Victoria Hall’s murder, his deceitful claims in the letter have come to light even more starkly. Particularly striking was his assertion of innocence based on his perceived fairness and lack of violence, a statement met with disbelief by the victims’ families.
Brian Clennell, Paula’s father, denounced Wright’s assertions of innocence, emphasizing the overwhelming evidence against him and expressing a desire for justice. As Wright finally acknowledges his role as a killer, the families of the five murdered women hope for closure and accountability in their loved ones’ cases.