Suffolk Police Arrest Steve Wright, Then Charge Him With Murdering Five Women in Ipswich
The bodies of the five women had been found around Ipswich over about 10 days. Wright, 48, was charged two days after his arrest at his home.
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The bodies of five women who worked in Ipswich's red-light area had been found in the countryside around the town over about 10 days. On December 19, 2006, police arrested Steve Wright, 48, at his home in Ipswich.
Officers arrested Wright at about 5 a.m. at his apartment on London Road, on the edge of the red-light area, on suspicion of murdering the five women. He worked as a forklift truck driver at Felixstowe docks and had once been a steward on the liner QE2. He was the second man arrested in the inquiry. On the evening of December 21, he was charged with all five murders, and the first man arrested, a 37-year-old, was released on police bail without charge.
The women were Tania Nicol, 19; Gemma Adams, 25; Anneli Alderton, 24; Paula Clennell, 24; and Annette Nicholls, 29. The murder inquiry began on December 2, when Adams's body was found in a brook at Hintlesham. Nicol, who had disappeared on October 30, was found in the same waterway at nearby Copdock Mill, and the other three women were found near Nacton and Levington.
Wright appeared before Ipswich magistrates on December 22, made no application for bail and was remanded in custody until January 2. "Steven Wright stands accused of these offences and has a right to a fair trial before a jury," said Michael Crimp, a senior prosecutor with the Suffolk Crown Prosecution Service. In February 2008 Wright was convicted of the five murders and given a whole life order.
Sources
- Serial killer sentenced over 1999 murder and kidnap after advancements in DNA, Crown Prosecution Service (East of England)
- Girlfriend insists new suspect is innocent as forensic teams search their home, The Guardian
- Man charged with Suffolk murders, The Guardian / Press Association
- Man remanded over Ipswich murders, The Guardian / agencies
Related News
- February 21, 2008: Ipswich Jury Convicts Steve Wright of Murdering Five Women, and the Judge Orders He Never Be Released