Senior Detective Breaks Silence on Steve Wright Case, No Apology for Botched 1999 Investigation
The senior detective who failed to bring serial killer Steve Wright to justice for the 1999 murder of teenager Vicky Hall has spoken for the first time since Wright was jailed for her death, but he has not accepted any responsibility for the botched investigation that allowed Wright to remain at large for seven more years. Retired detective superintendent Roy Lambert, who headed the original inquiry, made his comments as Suffolk Constabulary admitted for the first time that certain aspects of the case could have been more prominent in the minds of detectives at the time.
Missed Opportunities and Dismissed Warnings
Mistakes in the initial investigation were significant and tragic. The serial killer's only surviving victim, Emily Doherty, informed police about an attempted abduction in 1999, providing a partial car number plate and an accurate description of Wright. However, officers dismissed her as a silly little girl, failing to log the crime or take proper notes. Just 24 hours later, Wright abducted 17-year-old Vicky Hall as she walked home from the same nightclub Ms Doherty had attended. Wright, now 67, was finally jailed for life with a minimum 40-year term on Friday after admitting Vicky's murder, following a cold case review that used modern DNA techniques to link him to the crime.
Despite the sentencing judge asking if Suffolk Constabulary would hold an inquiry into what went wrong, the force has refused to commit to one. This is despite detectives now admitting that other women may have fallen victim to Wright, known as the Suffolk Strangler, due to the initial failures.
Detective's Response and Force's Admission
Mr Lambert, 74, told the Mail he was pleased with the conviction, stating that Vicky's family had finally been given some answers to who was responsible for her murder. He added that the conclusion shows the importance of cold case reviews and exploiting advances in technology and was a credit to Suffolk Constabulary. However, he refused to comment on whether lessons had been learned from the failed investigation 27 years ago or if he believed it allowed Wright to kill other women between 1999 and 2006, directing questions to the force instead.
In a tacit admission, assistant chief constable Alice Scott said that the line of enquiry around Ms Doherty's attempted kidnap could have been more prominent in the original investigation. She noted that there is now more technology and improved officer training, with violent offences towards females being a priority. However, she insisted she could not say retrospectively whether that material could have gone on to prevent five women in Ipswich being murdered.
Criticism from Victims' Families and Ex-Wife
Wright's ex-wife, Diane Cole, criticised Mr Lambert and the force, asserting that lives could have been saved by a more thorough investigation. She said, They should have looked at the evidence... there are so many unanswered questions. It's terrible. Lives could have been saved. Jim Duell, the father of Ipswich victim Tania Nicol, suggested an independent inquiry should examine the failings in the 1999 incidents, noting that if police had caught Wright then, things could have been different.
Details of the 1999 Murder and Subsequent Killings
Vicky Hall was 17 when she went missing on September 19, 1999, while walking home from the Bandbox nightclub in Felixstowe. Her naked body was found five days later in a water-filled ditch 20 miles away. Police had the opportunity to arrest Wright before he targeted Vicky but failed to act on Ms Doherty's report. During last week's Old Bailey hearing, it was revealed that misogynistic officers did not believe Ms Doherty, telling her to forget all about it. A formal statement was only taken two years later.
Ms Doherty said in a victim impact statement, To this day, I am furious. I wasn't taken seriously. I was made to feel like a silly little girl. She added that for 25 years, she has wondered What if they had taken my statement – could Victoria be alive right now?
Wright's details were removed from the suspect list for Vicky's death in 2000, and an innocent local businessman was wrongfully prosecuted, costing £2 million before being acquitted in 2001. Meanwhile, Wright sold his car, left work, and moved to Thailand temporarily. After returning, he murdered five prostitutes in Ipswich over a six-week period in 2006: Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell, and Annette Nicholls. He was given a whole life term in 2008 for those murders.
Cold Case Review and Family Impact
It was not until a cold case review began in 2020 that Wright was declared a suspect for Vicky's murder for the first time. He was charged in 2024 based on new DNA evidence. The Hall family has not publicly criticised the force, although Vicky's father, Graham, said after the sentencing that they had endured 26 years of hell. Tragically, Vicky's mother, Lorinda, passed away last month without seeing her killer jailed.
Mr Lambert, who retired in 2007 after 39 years of service, was heading the investigation into Anneli Alderton's death at the time of his retirement. He had received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct in 1981 after being shot at by a criminal. Suffolk Police issued a statement after Wright's latest sentencing, congratulating investigating officers but making no reference to the errors that led to six murders and a wrongful prosecution. Regarding Ms Doherty's complaint, they said, The Constabulary is very sorry that the victim was disappointed by the initial response.
