The Old Bailey is now the stage for a chilling reckoning, a trial that revisits a decades-old disappearance and a more recent, horrifying series of crimes. Steve Wright, 66, stands accused, his past under intense scrutiny as the case of Victoria Hall, vanished in 1999, is brought back into the light.
Victoria Hall was just 20 years old when she disappeared after a night out, leaving behind a void that would haunt her family for years. Her journey home ended abruptly, her body tragically discovered five days later by a dog walker – a grim find in a water-filled ditch 25 miles from where she was last seen, near Creeting St Peter in Suffolk.
The case lay dormant for two decades, a cold case file gathering dust until 2019. A flicker of hope ignited when new information surfaced, prompting detectives to reopen the investigation and ultimately leading to Wright’s trial.
This trial isn’t isolated. The judge has permitted the jury to learn of Wright’s previous convictions – a disturbing pattern of violence revealed in the case of five other murdered women. These weren’t isolated incidents, but a terrifying spree that gripped the Suffolk town of Ipswich in 2006.
In 2006, a wave of fear washed over Ipswich as young women began to vanish. Over a harrowing six weeks, the unthinkable unfolded: naked bodies discovered in remote, desolate locations surrounding the town, each discovery deepening the sense of dread.
The victims – Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell, Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, and Annette Nicholls – were all taken within a terrifying ten-day period in December. Their disappearances weren’t initially linked, but the escalating horror soon revealed a sinister connection.
Tania Nicol, 19, was the first to disappear, vanishing from Ipswich’s red-light district on October 30th. Two weeks later, Gemma Adams, 25, followed, triggering a massive police inquiry as the town held its breath.
The grim discoveries began on December 2nd with Gemma Adams’ body found in a stream at Hintlesham. Just six days later, Annette Nicholls’ corpse was recovered from a pond at Copdock, the fear escalating with each new revelation.
The following days brought further devastation. Anneli Alderton, 24, was found in the woods at Nacton on December 4th, prompting desperate pleas for sex workers to avoid the streets. The town was paralyzed by fear.
The final, heartbreaking discoveries came on December 12th, when the bodies of Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29, were found near woods at Levington. The scale of the tragedy was now undeniable, a dark chapter etched into the history of Ipswich.
