Acknowledging his guilt, Steve Wright, known as the Suffolk Strangler, confessed to the murder of Victoria Hall, who went missing over 25 years ago. Additionally, the 67-year-old admitted to trying to abduct Emily Doherty, then 22, in Felixstowe the day prior.
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 most infamous criminals in the country.
In a surprising turn of events, Wright, in a letter to Anthony Bond from prison shortly after his conviction, maintained his innocence despite overwhelming evidence against him. Reflecting on that letter now, his deceitful statements and lack of empathy towards the victims’ families are even more disturbing.
The ruthless murders of five young sex workers from Ipswich’s red light district nearly two decades ago had a profound impact nationwide. Gemma Adams, 25, Tania Nicol, 19, Anneli Alderton, 24, Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29, were discovered dead in remote locations near Suffolk town within a ten-day period in December 2006, all victims of strangulation or suffocation.
During that period, I was a journalist in Ipswich and covered the trial of the then 49-year-old Wright. Prosecutors alleged that Wright meticulously chose and killed the women after stalking the streets near his residence.
Evidence including DNA and fibers linked to Wright’s clothing, house, and car were found on the victims, further implicating him.
Following his incarceration, Wright sent me a lengthy letter from the high-security Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire, which understandably stirred anger among the victims’ families.
In his letter, Wright audaciously suggested that the real killer was still at large, evoking emotional responses from the families of the victims.
Now, with Wright’s recent admission to Victoria Hall’s murder, his previous denials appear even more stark, particularly one paragraph from his letter asserting his innocence.
Reacting to the letter, Brian Clennell, Paula’s father, expressed disbelief at Wright’s claims of innocence in the face of overwhelming evidence, emphasizing his disdain for Wright and the pain caused by the loss of his daughter.
Having now confessed to being a killer, the families of Gemma, Tania, Anneli, Paula, and Annette hope for Wright to finally take responsibility for all the murders he committed.