Serial killer Steve Wright, already serving a whole-life sentence for the murders of five women in Ipswich in 2006, has pleaded guilty to the kidnap and murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall in 1999. The 67-year-old changed his plea at the Old Bailey on Monday, avoiding a trial that was due to begin.
Victoria Hall disappeared during a night out in Felixstowe on 18 September 1999. Her body was found five days later in a ditch in Creeting St Peter, about 25 miles away. Wright also admitted the attempted kidnap of 22-year-old Emily Doherty in Felixstowe the day before Victoria's disappearance.
The prosecutor, Jocelyn Ledward KC, confirmed that victim impact statements would be submitted by Victoria's friend Gemma Algar and by Doherty. Mr Justice Bennathan said he would sentence Wright on Friday to allow Victoria's family to attend.
Wright, a former merchant seaman held at HMP Long Lartin, was convicted in 2008 of murdering five women in Ipswich within six weeks in 2006. The victims were Tania Nicol, Gemma Adams, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell, and Annette Nicholls. All were asphyxiated, as was Victoria Hall.
The judge ruled that jurors could be told of Wright's previous murder convictions despite defence objections. The prosecution highlighted similarities between the murders, including that all six women were asphyxiated, left in similar locations, and shared a physical type.
Victoria's mother, Lorinda Hall, died in December before her daughter's killer was brought to justice. Her father, Graham Hall, had previously appealed for help, saying the killer would have the crime on their conscience.
