In a courtroom stunned into silence today, infamous Suffolk serial killer Steve Wright admitted to a murder that shocked the nation more than 25 years ago.
Wright, now 67, confessed to killing 17-year-old Victoria Hall in Felixstowe in 1999, marking the first time he has ever acknowledged responsibility for any of his crimes.
The revelation came on the opening day of a long-awaited trial at the Old Bailey, leaving family members, onlookers, and legal teams alike reeling.
A Plea That Surprised Everyone
Wright appeared in court for a brief nine-minute hearing, showing no visible emotion as he pleaded guilty to Victoria’s murder.
Although he initially refused to stand for the judge, he managed to rise and quietly utter the words “guilty,” prompting audible gasps and tears from the courtroom audience.
Alongside the murder confession, Wright also admitted to attempting to kidnap 22-year-old Emily Doherty just a day before Victoria’s disappearance.
Both cases happened in the same Felixstowe area, underscoring the chilling pattern of his early crimes.
The Long Shadow of Ipswich’s Red-Light Murders
Many remember Wright for the horrifying six-week spree in 2006, when he murdered five sex workers in Ipswich’s red-light district.
Gemma Adams, 25, Tania Nicol, 19, Anneli Alderton, 24, Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29, all met similar fates, their bodies discovered in woodland or streams.
Despite clear forensic evidence linking him to these killings, Wright consistently denied responsibility—until today.
The latest confession reveals that he killed Victoria Hall in a remarkably similar manner, dumping her body in a stream, mirroring the later murders.
How Victoria Hall’s Tragic Night Unfolded
Victoria, an A-level student, had been out at the Bandbox nightclub with friends in Felixstowe on September 19, 1999.
Short on money for a taxi, she walked home with her friend Gemma Algar, stopping for chips along the way.
The two parted around 2:30 a.m., only 300 yards from Victoria’s home.
Witnesses later reported hearing screams, a throaty car engine, and the sound of a vehicle speeding off. By 8:20 a.m.
, Victoria’s parents raised the alarm, and her body was discovered five days later in a ditch in Creeting St Peter—25 miles from where she vanished.
A Mistaken Investigation and Lost Time
In the aftermath, local businessman Adrian Bradshaw became the focus of police suspicion.
Having been at the same nightclub that night, he was arrested after forensic evidence allegedly linked his Porsche to the crime scene.
However, after a 90-minute jury deliberation, he was acquitted when geologists demonstrated that the soil sample could have come from anywhere in East Anglia.
Meanwhile, Wright remained off the police radar.
At the time, he was not in any database, and his DNA would not be added until two years later following a minor conviction.
Missteps by law enforcement, including £2 million spent prosecuting the wrong man, allowed Wright to remain undetected for years.
Cold Case Breakthroughs Lead to Confession
The case reopened in 2019, with Suffolk Police reviewing old evidence and releasing CCTV footage showing a man near the scene where Victoria’s body was later found.
Public tips eventually linked the footage to Wright, whose vehicle and physical profile matched the suspect.
He was arrested in 2021 while serving his life sentence for the Ipswich murders and formally charged in 2024 after new forensic techniques confirmed his involvement.
Today, Wright pleaded guilty to both the murder of Victoria Hall and the attempted abduction of Emily Doherty.
Questions About Other Victims Remain
With this shocking confession, the question now looms: could there be more victims in the years between Victoria’s death in 1999 and the Ipswich killings in 2006? Wright’s criminal past has long been scrutinized for links to other unsolved cases, including high-profile disappearances.
For now, Victoria’s family and the public have a painful sense of closure, but the shadow of Steve Wright’s crimes continues to raise haunting questions about the missed chances to catch him sooner.
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