In a shocking courtroom development, the infamous Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright has dramatically reversed his long-standing position of innocence by confessing to the 1999 murder of a teenage girl. This confession marks the first time the notorious criminal has admitted to any killings, despite years of vehement denials and chilling correspondence from prison.
A Sudden Change of Plea at the Old Bailey
Steve Wright, aged 67 and formerly of London Road in Ipswich, was scheduled to stand trial at the Old Bailey today for the murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall. In a stunning last-minute reversal, Wright changed his plea to guilty, admitting to kidnapping the teenager "by force or fraud" on September 19, 1999, and subsequently murdering her.
The convicted killer also pleaded guilty to the attempted kidnap of 22-year-old Emily Doherty in Felixstowe the previous day. This represents a complete turnaround from Wright's decades-long protestations of innocence, despite repeated pleas from victims' families for him to reveal the truth.
Chilling Prison Correspondence Revealed
Following his 2008 conviction for the brutal murders of five Ipswich sex workers, which earned him a rare whole-life prison order, Wright sent a three-page letter from Long Lartin high-security prison. In this correspondence, he continued to maintain his innocence with chilling conviction.
"What I would say to the people of Suffolk is be on your guard because the real killer is still out there," Wright wrote, adding: "I do not have a violent bone in my body and to take a life I would have thought would be the ultimate form of aggression."
Now, with his confession to Victoria Hall's murder, these statements appear particularly horrifying and demonstrate a profound lack of empathy for the victims and their grieving families.
The Suffolk Strangler's Notorious Crimes
Steve Wright gained national notoriety as the Suffolk Strangler after being convicted in 2008 for the murders of five young women who worked in Ipswich's red-light district. The naked bodies of Gemma Adams (25), Tania Nicol (19), Anneli Alderton (24), Paula Clennell (24), and Annette Nicholls (29) were discovered in isolated locations around Suffolk during a ten-day period in December 2006.
During his original trial, prosecutors presented compelling evidence that Wright had "systematically selected and murdered" these women after stalking streets near his home. DNA evidence and fibres matching his clothing, home, and car were found on the victims, creating an overwhelming case against him.
Families' Reactions and Ongoing Anguish
Brian Clennell, father of victim Paula Clennell, responded to Wright's prison letter with understandable fury: "How can he say that he is innocent when there is so much evidence against him? He can do what he wants. He has hobbies and a TV and the gym and meals every day... If Paula could have been rescued from what she was into she maybe could have another chance but she does not have a chance."
With Wright's confession to Victoria Hall's murder, families of his other victims are now hoping he will finally admit to their murders too, potentially bringing some measure of closure to cases that have haunted Suffolk for nearly two decades.
The dramatic confession represents a significant development in one of Britain's most notorious criminal cases, revealing new dimensions to the psychology of a killer who maintained elaborate falsehoods even from behind prison walls.
