Justice has been delivered for one of the victims of the Suffolk strangler, 26 years after the murder of a teenage girl. Victoria Hall, aged 17, was kidnapped and killed by Steve Wright in September 1999, preceding his later acts of murdering five young women in Ipswich. Wright’s sentencing also addressed an attempted kidnapping of another woman, Emily Doherty.
The serial killer, now 67, is already serving a life sentence for the murders of five other women between October and December 2006. Victoria, a resident of Suffolk, was found dead in a ditch in Creeting St Peter, days after she went missing from Felixstowe.
Today, Wright received a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for Victoria’s murder and additional years for her kidnap and the attempted kidnap of Emily Doherty. The court noted Wright’s predatory behavior in Felixstowe, where he targeted young women for abduction in his car.
Wright’s actions were described as sexually motivated, leading to the abduction, murder, and violation of Victoria. Her family endured immense distress over her tragic death. Victoria, a student with aspirations of further education, was denied a future due to Wright’s actions. Her brother expressed the lasting impact on their family and the void left by her absence.
Suffolk Police reopened the investigation into Victoria’s case in 2019, eventually leading to Wright’s arrest and confession. The police expressed relief at bringing closure to Victoria’s family after years of waiting for justice.
In 2006, Ipswich witnessed a series of murders that sparked fear in the community. Wright’s arrest followed a manhunt for the killer who targeted young women in the area. The court handed down a rare whole-life order to Wright for the premeditated killings, emphasizing his responsibility for the deaths of the five women.
The judge highlighted that Wright’s actions, not external factors like drugs or prostitution, were the cause of the women’s tragic deaths. The case brought closure to the families of the victims, ending a long period of uncertainty and fear in the community.
