Jury told murder motive may remain a mystery

THE reason why Steve Wright murdered five prostitutes in the space of a few weeks may remain a mystery forever, a jury was told yesterday.

Prosecutor Peter Wright told Ipswich Crown Court the world may never know what drove Wright toembark upon his “campaign” of murder.

But he told jurors it was “certain” Wright had murdered Gemma Adams, 25, Tania Nicol, 18, Anneli Alderton, 24, Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29.

The women, who all worked in the red light district of Ipswich, began to vanish in late October 2006.

Their naked bodies were found near the Suffolk town during the first two weeks of December 2006. Two had been laid out in a “cruciform” shape.

The defendant, 49, a former forklift-truck driver who lived in Ipswich’s red light district with his partner Pam Wright, denies the murders.

Prosecutors say the women were asphyxiated or strangled before being dumped and forensic and other evidence linked Wright with the women.

But his lawyer, Timothy Langdale, told the jury although Wright was a user of prostitutes and had had sex with four of the women, he was not a killer.

The prosecution told jurors: “As to what drives a man to embark upon a campaign such as this we may never know.

“One thing you can be certain of from the evidence is in late October 2006 something caused Steve Gerald James Wright to engage in such a campaign and he is guilty of the murder of each of these women.”

He said Wright’s DNA was found on the three women — Ms Nicholls, Ms Alderton and Ms Clennell — whose bodies were found on land. And he said the scientific evidence showed Wright had been in close contact with Ms Nicholls, Ms Alderton and Ms Clennell shortly before their deaths.

He said Wright’s DNA was not found on Ms Nicol or Ms Adams — whose bodies were discovered in water — but that experts had found fibres linking Wright with the bodies of all five women.

The lawyer said investigations revealed Wright had tried to cover his tracks by cleaning his car: “He may have been careful but he was not careful enough and the fibres linking the defendant with the bodies of these five women speaks volumes as to his involvement in their disappearance, their murders and the disposal of their bodies.”

However, outlining the defence case Mr Langdale told the jury Wright would not dispute scientific evidence showing his DNA — plus fibres from his clothes, car and flat — were found.

And he would admit to having sex with four of the women.

The hearing continues on Monday.