Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright has confessed to the murder of Victoria Hall, a 17-year-old girl who went missing over 25 years ago. In addition, the 67-year-old serial killer has accepted responsibility for attempting to abduct Emily Doherty, then 22 years old, in Felixstowe the day before.
Back in 2008, Wright, a former steward on the QE2, received a rare whole life order for the savage 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 sent to Anthony Bond shortly after his imprisonment. Reflecting on that letter today only intensifies the horror of his deceitful claims and callous disregard for the victims’ families.
Nearly two decades ago, the brutal murders of five young sex workers from Ipswich’s red-light district shook the nation. The lifeless 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 town within 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 chose and killed the women after stalking the streets near his residence.
Evidence including DNA and fibers linked to Wright’s clothing, house, and vehicle were found on the victims.
Shortly after his incarceration, Wright sent me a three-page letter from the high-security Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire, sparking outrage among the victims’ families.
In his letter, Wright audaciously claimed that the real killer was still at large, expressing sorrow for the victims’ families but maintaining his innocence. However, with his recent admission to murdering Victoria Hall, his falsehoods are glaring, especially one particular paragraph from his letter.
Reacting to Wright’s claims, Brian Clennell, father of Paula, expressed disbelief at Wright’s innocence assertion given the substantial evidence against him, concluding with a damning statement of wishing him eternal damnation.
Now that Wright has confessed to being a killer for the first time, the families of Gemma, Tania, Anneli, Paula, and Annette hope he will finally confess to their murders as well.