Networked Knowledge - Media Report

[This edited version of the report has been prepared by Dr Robert N Moles]

UK homepage
Article: Australian law on miscarriages of justice
Article: UK law on miscarriages of justice
Article: USA law on miscarriages of justice

On 8 February 2008 Adam Fresco of the Times Online reported “Suffolk suspect gives same answer 53 times in court”.

He said a former fork-lift truck driver accused of being the Suffolk strangler gave the same answer 53 times in court today as he insisted that evidence linking him to five dead women was nothing more than a series of coincidences. During two hours of cross-examination Steve Wright, 49, told jurors that he had been “singularly unfortunate”. Mr Wright accepted that he could have been with all five women on the nights that they vanished and admitted that he had sex with four of the women and was intending to have sex with the fifth before changing his mind, Ipswich Crown court heard.

Peter Wright, QC, for the prosecution, asked a series of questions of the defendant as he stood seven feet away from the defendant in the witness box.

He said: “There are a number of coincidences in this case aren't there Mr Wright?”
Steve Wright: “If you say so, yes.”
PW: “Let's consider a few shall we? You selected five women from the street of Ipswich, amongst others, and each of them died. Is that a coincidence?
SW: “It would seem so, yes.”
PW: “You selected five women from the streets of Ipswich and on your own account they all died very shortly after they left you company. Is that a coincidence?”
SW: “It would seem so, yes.”
PW: “I am asking you, is it by coincidence or by design?”
SW: “I would say it's coincidence.”
PW: “You selected five women from the streets of Ipswich in the order in which they died. Is that coincidence?”
SW: “It would seem so, yes.”
PW: “Because you selected firstly Tania Nicol, then Gemma Adams, then Anneli Alderton, then Annette Nicholls, then Paula Clennell among others but it seems that your selection in terms of women that died shortly after they had left your company, not only did you select the same five that met their death but you selected them in the same order in which they died. Mr Wright, is that coincidence?"
SW: “It would seem so, yes.”
PW: “It would appear in so far as you pick up prostitutes in the street of Ipswich you have been singularly unfortunate.”
SW: “It would seem so, yes.”
PW: “Because the coincidences do not end there. There are further coincidences are there not? Shall we start with your DNA. That's another coincidence isn't it?”
SW: “It would seem so, yes.”
PW: “It would seem your full profile is on the bodies of the three women who were recovered from dry land. Is that a coincidence?”
SW: “It would seem so, yes.”
PW: “It would seem that there are fibres connected to you and your home environment in respect of five of these women when their bodies were found. Is that another coincidence?”
SW: “It would seem so, yes.”

Mr Wright denies murdering Ms Adams, 25, Ms Nicol, 19, Ms Alderton, 24, Ms Clennell, 24, and Ms Nicholls, 29 between October 29 and December 13th 2006. Their naked bodies were found at remote locations near the town during a ten -day period in December 2006. The jury heard that the coincidences did not end there, as blood from two of the women, Ms Nicholls and Ms Clennell, was found on Mr Wright's flourescent jacket. Peter Wright said: “It would seem also that the profile of those two women correspondent with two of the women that met their death shortly after you had left them?” The defendant replied: “”It would seem so, yes.”

After detailing more coincidences the prosecutor said: “The fact is there are no coincidences in this case, are there Mr Wright? The fact is you murdered each of these women.”
Slightly raising his voice, Mr Wright said: “No, I did not.”

The jury has heard that Mr Wright would pick up prostitutes after dropping his partner, Pam Wright, at work. Peter Wright said that during the disappearances of Ms Nicol and Ms Adams, Ms Wright was not at work and no one went missing. “It appears that the prostitutes of Ipswich were not subject to any campaign by any random psychopath?” asked the prosecution. “would appear so, yes,” replied the defendant.

Mr Wright asked the accused if he was seeking “something more than sexual gratification”. ..“and as time went on you decided you would kill”,
“No, no way,” replied the defendant.
“Is it in respect of these five women you would pick them up and kill them during a sexual encounter?”
“No I did not,” he said.
Mr Wright said it was another coincidence that he was “familiar” with where the bodies of Ms Alderton, Ms Nicholls and Ms Clennell were found.

Finishing his cross-examination for the day Peter Wright accused the defendant of “squeezing the very life out of" Ms Nicol”. “No I did not,” Mr Wright said.

The trial continues.

Top of Page