Man already jailed for five murders admits killing teenager after decades-long investigation
A serial killer convicted of murdering five women has pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and murder of a teenage girl more than two decades after the crime remained unsolved.
Steve Wright, now aged 67, admitted the murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall in 1999, along with an attempted kidnap carried out the day before. The guilty pleas were entered on 2 February 2026, before his trial at the Old Bailey was due to begin.
Victoria Hall’s disappearance and murder in September 1999 had remained unresolved for more than 20 years. Prosecutors said Wright attempted to kidnap a 22-year-old woman on 18 September 1999. The following day, he kidnapped and murdered Victoria.
Wright also pleaded guilty to the attempted kidnapping of the woman targeted on 18 September 1999. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that the offences were admitted in full.
The case was brought following a renewed investigation led by Suffolk Police, supported by the Crown Prosecution Service. Prosecutors said the case had been rebuilt over a six-year period after new lines of inquiry emerged.
Samantha Woolley, a specialist prosecutor with the CPS East of England, said justice had finally been secured after decades. She said the work carried out with police to support the reopened investigation resulted in Wright admitting his guilt, bringing long-awaited answers in a case that had remained unresolved for 26 years.
She added that the outcome demonstrated that the passage of time does not prevent successful prosecutions, and that the CPS would continue to pursue justice in non-recent cases regardless of how long ago the crimes occurred.
Woolley said the CPS’s thoughts remained with Victoria Hall’s family and those who loved her, acknowledging the difficulty of the moment. She also referred to the impact of the case on Emily Doherty and her family, and others affected by the events.
Wright was previously convicted in February 2008 of murdering five women in Ipswich. He was sentenced to a whole life order for those offences and remains in custody.
The CPS confirmed that Wright will be sentenced for the 1999 offences at the Old Bailey on Friday, 6 February 2026. His guilty pleas bring formal resolution to one of the longest-running unsolved murder cases in the region.