Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright has confessed to the murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall, who went missing over 25 years ago.
The 67-year-old serial killer has also pleaded guilty to attempting to kidnap Emily Doherty, then 22 years old, in Felixstowe the day before.
Back in 2008, the ex-steward on the QE2 received a rare whole life order for brutally killing five Ipswich prostitutes, solidifying his status as one of the nation’s most infamous criminals.
In a striking letter from prison to Anthony Bond shortly after his conviction, the twisted murderer continued to assert his innocence, despite overwhelming evidence against him.
Reflecting on that letter today, his disturbing falsehoods and lack of empathy for the victims’ families are even more chilling.
The savage killings of five young sex workers from Ipswich’s red-light district nearly two decades ago reverberated across the nation.
The nude bodies of Gemma Adams, 25, Tania Nicol, 19, Anneli Alderton, 24, Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29 were discovered in remote locations near the Suffolk town within a ten-day period in December 2006. All had been strangled or suffocated.
During that period, I served as a journalist in Ipswich and reported on the trial of the then 49-year-old. Prosecutors alleged that Wright “methodically selected and killed” the women after prowling the streets near his residence.
Evidence including DNA and fibers linked to his attire, home, and vehicle were found on the victims.
Following his incarceration, Wright sent me a three-page letter from the high-security Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire.
His statements understandably stoked anger among the families of the victims.
“To the people of Suffolk, I would advise to remain vigilant because the true perpetrator is still at large, although I harbor no ill will or resentment towards the people of Suffolk and the families of the five girls who were cruelly taken from them.
“I feel sorrow and genuine pain for their loss… but trust me when I say he is still out there contemplating his next move.”
However, now that the depraved killer has confessed to killing Victoria Hall, his egregious falsehoods are even more apparent, with one excerpt from that letter particularly striking.
“People should trust that I am innocent because I have lived my entire life striving to be as fair and considerate to others as possible. I do not possess any violent tendencies, and I view taking a life as the ultimate act of aggression.”
Reacting to the letter at the time, Brian Clennell, father of Paula, remarked: “How can he claim innocence when there is overwhelming evidence against him?
“He can live his life as he pleases. He enjoys hobbies, television, the gym, and regular meals… If Paula could have been rescued from her circumstances, perhaps she could have had another chance, but that opportunity is lost.
“Let him suffer in hell.”
Now that Wright has acknowledged for the first time that he is a killer, the families of Gemma, Tania, Anneli, Paula, and Annette are hopeful that he will finally admit to their murders as well.