2006 Ipswich murder investigation

The 2006 Ipswich murder investigation began during December 2006 when the bodies of five murdered women were discovered at different locations near Ipswich in Suffolk, England. All the victims were prostitutes working in Ipswich. Suffolk Police have linked the killings in their murder investigation. A forklift truck driver, Steven Gerald James Wright,^[1] aged 48, was arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday 19 December, 2006 and charged with the murders of all five women on Thursday 21 December, 2006.^[2]

Confirmed victims

The body of a young woman was discovered in the water of Belstead Brook at Thorpe's Hill, near Hintlesham, by a member of the public on December 2 2006 ^[3] and was identified as 25-year-old Gemma Adams ^[4] and had not been sexually assaulted.^[5][6] Six days later, on 8 December, the body of 19-year-old Tania Nicol, a friend of Adams, who had been missing since 30 October, was discovered in water at Copdock Mill just outside Ipswich.^[7] There was no evidence of sexual assault.^[6] On 10 December, a third victim was found by a member of the public in an area of woodland by the A14 road near Nacton and later identified as 24-year-old Anneli Alderton. According to a police statement, had been asphyxiated and was around three-months-pregnant when she died.^{[8] [9]} On 12 December, Suffolk police announced that the bodies of two more women had been found.^[10] On 14 December, the police confirmed one of the bodies as 24-year-old Paula Clennell.^[11] Clennell had disappeared on 10 December and was last seen in Ipswich.^[12] According to Suffolk Police Clennell died from "compression of the throat".^[13] On 15 December, the police confirmed that the other body was that of 29-year-old Annette Nicholls, who disappeared on 5 December.^[14] The bodies of Clennell and Nicholls were found in Nacton near the Levington turn-off of the A1156, close to where Alderton was found. A member of the public had seen one of the bodies six metres from the main road and police discovered a second body by helicopter whilst conducting initial investigations.

Details of victims

• Gemma Adams, aged 25, born in Kesgrave and living in Ipswich disappeared on 15 November at about 01.15 (UTC).^[15] Her body was found on 2 December, in a river at Hintlesham, she was the first of the victims to be found. Adams was found naked but had not been sexually assaulted.^[5]
• Tania Nicol, aged 19, from Ipswich disappeared on 30 October and was reported missing 1 November. Nicol was found 8 December near Copdock Mill in a river; there was no evidence of sexual assault.
• Annette Nicholls, aged 29, a mother of one, from Ipswich, disappeared on 5 December at 21.50. Nicholls' body was found on 12 December near Levington, naked but had not been sexually assaulted.
• Anneli Alderton aged 24, a mother of one who was three months pregnant, had been living at a temporary address in Colchester, Essex. Alderton disappeared on 3 December and was last seen on the 17.53 train from Harwich to Manningtree. Alderton got off the train at Manningtree at 18.15 before going on to Ipswich via another train, arriving at 18.43. Alderton's body was found on 10 December near Nacton in woodland in front of Amberfield School. Alderton had been asphyxiated and was found naked but not sexually assaulted.^[16]
• Paula Clennell aged 24, mother of three children, born in Newcastle and living in Ipswich, disappeared on 10 December in Ipswich at about 00.20. Clennell's body was found on 12 December near Levington on the same day as Nicholls'. Clennell was found naked but not sexually assaulted and a post mortem reported that she had been killed by a compression of her throat.^[13]

The police investigation

Suffolk police linked the killings and launched a murder investigation,^[17] codenamed Operation Sumac.^[18] At a 10 December press conference, detectives from the Suffolk Constabulary issued a warning to all women in Ipswich not to work the streets, and said they had received offers of assistance from neighbouring police forces, particularly Norfolk, in their "hunt for the killer or killers". Chief Constable Alastair McWhirter acknowledged that Suffolk Constabulary would be reliant on external assistance due to the magnitude of the investigation. A senior investigator with the Metropolitan Police, Commander Dave Johnston was reported to have been drafted into the murder inquiry team from Scotland Yard in London, in an advisory capacity.^[19] The day-to-day investigation was conducted by Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull.^[20] During 13 December and 14 December press conferences, DCS Gull revealed that police believe the locations where the five bodies were found to have been 'deposition sites' not murder scenes indicating the victims were all killed elsewhere and transported to the locations where they were later found, although DCS Gull was unable to indicate where the women had been murdered, nor whether the crimes took place at a single location or at multiple sites. DCS Gull also revealed that some items of women's clothing and accessories including a handbag and jacket had been recovered and were being forensically tested to establish whether they belonged to any of the murdered women.^[21][22] During the course of the press briefings, DCS Gull stated that over 200 police officers were involved in the investigation, and some 400-450 calls were being received daily by detectives. On 15 December Suffolk Constabulary's website revealed that a total of 7,300 telephone calls had been made to police regarding the investigation, and that over 250 police staff were working on the cases, with support from 26 other police forces.^[23] As of 18 December, the number of officers involved in the investigation had increased to 500, a further 350 officers from 30 other police forces had assisted in the inquiry, which involved detectives trawling through 10,000 hours of CCTV footage. The number of calls received regarding the case had also increased to around 10,000.^[24]

Arrest of suspects

18 December, Suffolk Constabulary reported that they had arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of murdering all five women.^[25] The man was arrested at 07.20 at a house in Trimley St. Martin near Felixstowe, Suffolk.^[26] The detention of the suspect was extended by magistrates by a further period of 24 hours, to the maximum of 96 hours allowed under English law.^[27] 19 December, at 05.00, police arrested a second suspect,^[28] a 48-year-old, at a resident in Ipswich on suspicion of committing murder.^[28] 20 December, police were granted a 36-hour extension to question the second suspect detention. 21 December a joint statement was issued by DCS Gull, and Michael Crimp, senior prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in Suffolk, announced that the second suspect named as Steven Wright had been charged with the murder of all five women. Police said that the first suspect, who was not officially named^[2] was released on police bail.^[29][30] Bail was cancelled on 6 June for the first suspect, as no more inquiries involving the case were to be undertaken involving the first suspect.^[31]

Court appearances

Wright appeared before magistrates in Ipswich on 22 December 2006 and was remanded in custody.^[32] On 2 January 2007 Wright appeared before Ipswich Crown Court and remanded in custody to appear before a court on 1 May.^[32][33]. On 1 May Wright formally entered a plea of not guilty; the judge indicated the trial would be heard at Ipswich crown court in January 2008.^[34]

Possible links to other crimes

Officers are also trying to establish whether the deaths of the five women in Suffolk are linked to the murders or disappearances of other women and teenage girls, including six in East Anglia, over the past 15 years^[6][35][36] These include:

• Diane McInally, aged 23, of the Gorbals, Glasgow, Scotland. Vanished in October 1991. The 23-year-old prostitute and drug addict's naked body was found dumped near bushes in a wood behind the Burrell Collection in Pollok Park, Glasgow. She died from compression to the neck. Two men were arrested but there was no prosecution.^[37]
• Natalie Pearman, aged 16, from Norwich, Norfolk. Disappeared in November 1992. Her body was found at Ringland Hills near Norwich. She had been strangled and was found partially clothed.^[38]
• Karen McGregor, aged 26, of Glasgow, Scotland, was found in bushes of a car park in Glasgow in 1993. She was found badly beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled.^[39]
• Johanna Young, aged 14, from Watton, Breckland District, Norfolk. Reported missing on 23 December 1992, she was found in a nearby freezing pond half naked on Boxing Day (26 December).^[38]
• Mandy Duncan, aged 26, from Woodbridge, Suffolk. Disappeared in 1993 in Ipswich; her body has never been found.
• Victoria Hall, aged 17, was from Trimley St. Mary in Mid Suffolk. Vanished on 19 September 1999. Her body was found five days later 25 miles away in a river at Creeting St. Peter near Stowmarket. A local businessman was later tried and acquitted of her murder.^[40]
• Kellie Pratt, aged 29, from Norwich. Disappeared in 2000 in Norwich; her body has never been found.
• Michelle Bettles, aged 22, from Norwich. Reported missing on 28 March 2002, she was found dead three days later near Dereham in woodland at Scarning, Breckland District, Norfolk. Her body was found clothed.^[41]
• Molly Jean Dilts, 20; Kim Raffo, 35; Tracy Ann Roberts, 23; and Barbara V. Breidor, 42. All were known prostitutes and were found murdered in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, in the month prior to the first recent Ipswich murder.^[42]

Media coverage

Before the bodies started to be recovered, coverage was mostly confined to the local media. The national BBC news began to report the investigation following the discovery of the remains of Tania Nicol, and after the discovery of the body of Anneli Alderton, the story started getting major exposure on a national and international level, with the British 24-hour-news channels Sky News and BBC News 24 devoting little time to any other events. The murders have been likened to those by Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper" who was convicted of murdering 13 women, mainly those who worked as prostitutes, over a period of five years from 1975 to 1980 in northern England;^[43] and to "Jack the Ripper", the infamous Victorian serial murderer who also targeted prostitutes.^[44] As with previous serial killers dating back to Jack the Ripper, many sections of the media have attempted to coin a name for the presumed murderer, using the terms "The Suffolkator",^[45] "Ipswich Ripper",^[46] "Suffolk Strangler",^[47] "Suffolk Ripper",^[48] and "East Anglia Ripper"^[49] to refer to the case. The Times dubbed the murderer "the Vice Girl Killer",^[50] and in Australia, the media has referred to the killer as the "Red Light Ripper"; in reference to Red-light districts and the world of vice, which prostitutes frequent.^[51] A reward was offered, first by local business Call Connection. It initially offered £25,000, this was raised to £50,000. Shortly after The News of the World offered a £250,000 reward for leads to a direct arrest and conviction of the murderer/murderers bringing the total reward on offer to £300,000.^[52]

Concerns about the media coverage

On 21 December 2006, the then Attorney General Lord Goldsmith issued guidance to the media after concerns were raised by Suffolk constabulary about the coverage and potential prejudice of a future trial. Lord Goldsmith urged the media to show restraint in what they reported about the two suspects being held, for fear of predjudicing any possible trial.^[53]

Coverage of related issues

The murders refocused press attention on a number of controversial issues in British politics. The first is that of prostitution in the United Kingdom. The laws concerning this have long been criticised.^[54][55][56] The Blair government had proposed changes to legislation related to prostitution in January 2006^[57] but did not proceed with them.^[58] Prostitution in itself is not illegal in the UK, but living off the proceeds of prostitution is. The murders have highlighted the vulnerability of prostitutes and the lack of action taken by the government, whether to be more punitive in the hope of reducing the numbers of prostitutes on the streets, to move towards legalised brothels and other measures to improve the safety of the women, or to target the demand for prostitution through prosecution of the clients, as is done in Sweden.^[59] The second is that of drug use and whether it should be legalised or decriminalised, provided on prescription to registered addicts, or penalised more harshly.^{see below} High numbers (95% according to the Home Office)^[60] of street prostitutes in the United Kingdom have a history of substance abuse, and prostitution is one means of funding addiction. A third area of debate relates to possible restructuring of police forces in Britain. During 2005, the government proposed merging smaller police forces in England and Wales (of which Suffolk Constabulary is one) with their neighbouring counterparts with the stated aims of improving the ability to pursue major inquiries (such as anti-terrorism, drug-trafficking and other similar complex investigations) and making efficiency savings. However, this plan was subsequently abandoned in July 2006.^[61]

Timeline of events

Anneli Alderton on a train in Essex the night she disappeared.

• 30 October 2006
  • Tania Nicol goes missing.
• 2 November
  • A suspect is interviewed voluntarily by the police.
• 7 November
  • Nicol's mother issues an appeal for information.
• 15 November
  • Gemma Adams goes missing, police appeal for information.
• 22 November
  • A suspect's house is searched by police.
• 2 December
  • Gemma Adams's body is found near Hintlesham west of Ipswich.
• 3 December
  • Anneli Alderton goes missing.
• 5 December
  • Annette Nicholls goes missing.
• 8 December
  • Tania Nicol's body is found near Copdock southwest of Ipswich.
• 9 December
  • Police confirm "obvious similarities" between the deaths of Nicol and Adams.
• 10 December
  • Anneli Alderton's body is found near Nacton. Paula Clenell goes missing.
• 12 December
  • Bodies of Nicholls and Clenell are found in close proximity to one another near Levington southeast of Ipswich.
• 13 December
  • Police in Suffolk reveal that there has been a large public response in aid of the investigation.
  • Clothes of two women were found.^[62]
• 14 December
  • Police confirm that one of the bodies found 12 December near Levington is Paula Clennell.
• 15 December
  • Police confirm that the second of the bodies found on 12 December is that of Annette Nicholls.^[14]
  • Media reports that a sixth woman has been reported missing are later disproved.^[63]
  • Nicol's father makes public appeal to help solve her murder.^[64]
• 16 December 2006
  • Police release CCTV footage of Alderton on the day she vanished.^[65]
• 18 December
  • At 07.20 a 37-year-old man is arrested at his home in Trimley St. Martin, on suspicion of murder.^[25] The man was not named by police.^[66]
• 19 December
  • A second male suspect, aged 48, from Ipswich, is arrested.^[67]
  • Magistrates grant police a 36-hour extension to hold and question the first arrested suspect.
• 21 December
  • Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General, issued guidelines to the media regarding the reporting of information about the two men in custody.
  • Police announce that they have released the first suspect on bail, while the second suspect is named as Steven Wright and is charged with the murder of all five women and will appear in court the next day.
• 22 December
  • Steven Wright appears in court before Ipswich magistrates and is remanded in custody.
• 2 January 2007
  • Steven Wright appeared at Ipswich Crown Court.^[32]
• 1 May
  • Steven Wright appeared at Ipswich Crown court pleading not guilty to five counts of murder.^[68]

References

See also

Wikinews has related news:

Five prostitutes found dead in UK brings fears of "Ipswich Ripper".

• Jack the Ripper (similar crime)
• List of serial killers by country
• List of serial killers by number of victims
• Serial killer
• Spree killer
• The Yorkshire Ripper (similar crime)
• Unsolved murders in the UK

External links

• Suffolk Police: Murder Enquiry - Summary 19 December 2006
• Ipswich murdered women, BBC News
• Suffolk murders section, Sky News
• Red Light Murders, Ipswich Evening Star
• Vice Girl Murders, East Anglian Daily Times
• Special report: Suffolk murders - The Guardian
• Drugs are the curse of our land and turn women into prostitutes - Simon Heffer - Daily Telegraph, 13 December 2006
• Why these women are paying the price of a zero tolerance approach to street prostitution - Deborah Orr - The Independent, 13 December 2006
• How we let Gemma and Tania down - The case for legalised prostitution is clear - Alice Miles - The Times, 13 December 2006
• Drugs: why we should medicalise, not criminalise (examining UK drug laws as they relate to the Suffolk case) - Mary Ann Sieghart - The Times, 14 December 2006 and its current drugs policy.