Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright Confesses to 1999 Murder of Teenager Victoria Hall
In a dramatic courtroom development, serial killer Steve Wright, aged 67 and infamously known as the Suffolk Strangler, has shockingly changed his plea to admit the abduction and murder of teenager Victoria Hall in 1999. The Old Bailey heard that Wright was a "predator stalking for his prey" when he targeted the 17-year-old sixth former, whose horrific killing remained unsolved for 26 years until his guilty plea on Monday.
A Night Out That Ended in Tragedy
Victoria Hall, from Trimley St Mary, was walking home from a night out at the Bandbox nightclub in Felixstowe with her best friend in the early hours of 19 September 1999. After parting ways just 300 metres from her front door, she vanished, with the only clue being a scream heard in the small housing estate. Her naked body was discovered five days later by a dog walker in a ditch at Creeting St Peter, approximately 25 miles from where she was last seen.
Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC detailed that Wright, then 41 and employed on the mooring team at Felixstowe docks, was driving his burgundy Ford Granada Scorpio and "on the prowl" in the port town. She stated, "Almost undoubtedly sexually motivated, he was a predator stalking for his prey: looking for a young woman to kidnap." The court heard that Wright, described as "very physically strong," did not allow Hall to "escape his predatory clutches," and her body was discarded "as if she were no more important than a disposable commodity."
Previous Attempt and Ongoing Crimes
Wright also admitted attempting to kidnap Emily Doherty, 22, the night before Hall's murder. Doherty, who was newlywed and due to travel to India for her honeymoon, sensed danger and armed herself with a stick when she encountered Wright in the early hours of 18 September 1999. She managed to escape by sprinting away and frantically knocking on a front door, where she was let inside.
This confession marks the first time Wright has ever taken responsibility for any of his crimes. He is already serving a rare whole life sentence for strangling five women in Ipswich during a six-week killing spree in 2006. Those victims included Tania Nicol, 19; Gemma Adams, 25; Anneli Alderton, 24; Paula Clennell, 24; and Annette Nicholls, 29, all targeted from the town's red light area.
Courtroom Proceedings and Sentencing
At his sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey, Wright, now 67, wore a grey Nike tracksuit and was flanked by three dock officers as harrowing details of the crimes were laid out. The hearing continues, with more developments expected in this breaking news story. Wright's guilty plea brings a long-awaited closure to a case that has haunted the community for over two decades, revealing the depths of his predatory behavior and the tragic loss of a young life.
