Twenty years after the Suffolk serial murders shook Ipswich, the retired detective who helped lead the investigation has spoken about the case, the victims, and his belief that the killer may have claimed more lives. Simon Dinsdale, then a detective superintendent with Essex Police, was seconded to Suffolk Constabulary in December 2006 to take on the Senior Investigating Officer role for the murders of Annette Nicholls and Paula Clennell.
The Disappearances and Discovery of the Victims
The case began in late 2006 when 25-year-old Gemma Adams and 19-year-old Tania Nicol, both street sex workers, went missing within weeks of each other. Their bodies were found in waterways near Ipswich six days apart. Three more women — Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell, and Annette Nicholls — then disappeared and were later found murdered.
Simon, who was visiting his daughter Kate in Ipswich when the first disappearances made headlines, recalled his immediate reaction: 'I remember thinking, well, they are dead. Women who were settled, who had family in Ipswich, do not just completely drop off the map.'
The small rural force of Suffolk Constabulary, unaccustomed to a serial murder investigation, called in reinforcements. 'It was a shock when Anneli's body was found because no one had realised she was missing,' Simon said. 'The force did not have the resources to deal with such a serious case, so it called in reinforcements.'
The Investigation Intensifies
Simon and his team worked 16-hour days, often briefing in the police canteen as the world's media camped outside headquarters. 'I'm briefing my guys in the canteen, and I look over my shoulder and the crime correspondent for Sky is sitting there having his bacon and eggs. And Fiona Bruce is there. It was utterly surreal,' he remembered.
The speed of the disappearances and the proximity of the bodies led detectives to conclude they were dealing with a serial killer. They flooded the area with officers, mounted roadblocks, examined thousands of CCTV images, and collected DNA from hundreds of men.
Seven weeks after Tania Nicol was reported missing, investigators identified the DNA of Steve Wright, a forklift truck driver who lived near the women's 'beat' and frequently paid for sex, on three of the victims. Wright was arrested the next day.
Arrest, Trial, and Conviction
'That's a piece of cake. It's: "You're nicked". Thereafter, you've got to prove it. Knowing someone has done it and proving it are two completely different things,' Simon said. 'It took over a year before he went to court. It is an enormously intensive investigation to take every single piece of evidence you are going to rely on and stress-test it to the point that it proves beyond reasonable doubt this person is responsible.'
After a six-week trial at Ipswich Crown Court in 2008, Wright was found unanimously guilty of murdering all five women and was sentenced to life imprisonment. 'The investigation was a huge learning curve for me, and I did feel a certain amount of professional pride after he was convicted,' Simon said.
Victims Remembered and Concerns Remain
Simon remains troubled by how the women were portrayed at the time. 'The thing that should always be made very clear is that those five women were victims. They made some mistakes in their lives. None of them grew up wanting to be a sex worker. Not one of them really wanted to be so badly affected by drugs that they had to sell themselves to buy them. They were victims first and foremost.'
'It does bother me that even today the case is regarded as "the prostitute murders", like they were disposable. One of them was a mother, one was pregnant when she was murdered. They did not deserve that.'
After a breakthrough in DNA technology and new witness evidence, Wright was sentenced in February to a further 40 years for the kidnap and murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall, and the attempted kidnap of another woman, more than 25 years ago. The judge told him he would die in prison.
Simon believes Wright may have killed other women. 'He was arrested when he was 48. You don't suddenly start murdering people in your forties. He is a predatory serial killer. My concern now is, are any of my former colleagues going to talk to him and ask him what else he has done? There is no doubt in my mind that he has killed other people.'
