Serial killer Steve Wright, already serving a whole-life sentence for five murders in Ipswich, has pleaded guilty to the 1999 kidnap and murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall. The 67-year-old appeared at the Old Bailey on Monday, changing his plea at the last minute before trial.
Victoria, from Trimley St Mary, Suffolk, vanished on 18 September 1999 after a night out at the Bandbox nightclub in Felixstowe. 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.
Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC highlighted similarities between Victoria's murder and Wright's known killings: all six victims were asphyxiated, left in similar locations, and shared a physical type. The judge ruled jurors could be told of Wright's prior convictions, despite defence objections.
Wright's guilty plea spares Victoria's family a trial. Her father, Graham Hall, had previously appealed for help, while her mother, Lorinda, died in December before seeing justice. Sentencing is set for Friday, allowing the family to submit victim impact statements.
Wright was convicted in 2008 of murdering five women in Ipswich over six weeks in 2006: Tania Nicol, Gemma Adams, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls. He received a whole-life order, with the judge citing premeditation and planning.
