Steven Wright, known as the Suffolk strangler, displayed a smirk in court as he faced the brother of his sixth victim, who shared the lasting pain and suffering inflicted on their family.
Wright, aged 67, admitted on Monday to the abduction and murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall, who vanished over 25 years ago from a village near Felixstowe.
He also confessed to attempting to kidnap Emily Doherty, then 22, in a Suffolk port town the day before. On Friday, Wright received a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for these crimes.
Steven, who was 15 at the time of his sister’s death, expressed, “Our family was unwillingly thrust into a group no one wishes to belong to due to the selfish actions of an individual seeking personal gain.
“Victoria, at only 17, had a future ahead of her – university, career, marriage, children – all of which she was deprived of.
“I have lost my sister, and my parents have lost their daughter, who brought immense happiness through her dancing and her wonderful personality.
“For 26 years since I was 15, I have lived not knowing what happened to my sister.
“I have endured a sentence of my own. The resolution does not provide closure; it only identifies the perpetrator. The ongoing pain and suffering persist.”
Victoria, a resident of Trimley St Mary in Suffolk, disappeared on September 18, 1999, after leaving her home to visit a nightclub in Felixstowe with a friend. Her body, unclothed, was discovered in a ditch five days later in Creeting St Peter, approximately 25 miles away from her last sighting. Wright had kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered her before disposing of her remains.
The distress caused by Victoria’s condition deeply affected her mother Lorinda, who passed away in December before Wright faced justice, as per the court statements.
Wright entered Court 10 with arrogance, conversing casually with a dock officer, seemingly indifferent to the gravity of the situation. Additional seating was arranged in the courtroom to accommodate the numerous media representatives present.
Physically large, bald, and donning thick, black-rimmed glasses, the former QE2 steward appeared like an ordinary elderly person, a stark juxtaposition to the evil he perpetrated.
He shuffled along the dock, observing journalists and the