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| Steve Wright pleads not guilty to kidnap and murder | Steve Wright pleads not guilty to kidnap and murder |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Steve Wright, shown in a court sketch from a previous hearing, will stand trial on 2 February 2026 | Steve Wright, shown in a court sketch from a previous hearing, will stand trial on 2 February 2026 |
| Steve Wright, shown in a court sketch from a previous hearing, will stand trial on 2 February 2026 | Steve Wright, shown in a court sketch from a previous hearing, will stand trial on 2 February 2026 |
| Published4 hours ago | |
| Steve Wright has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and murdering a teenage girl in Suffolk more than 20 years ago. | Steve Wright has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and murdering a teenage girl in Suffolk more than 20 years ago. |
| The 66-year-old is charged with the kidnap and murder of Victoria Hall, 17, who disappeared while on her way home from a nightclub in Felixstowe in 1999. | The 66-year-old is charged with the kidnap and murder of Victoria Hall, 17, who disappeared while on her way home from a nightclub in Felixstowe in 1999. |
| Her body was found 25 miles (40km) away by a dog walker in a water-filled ditch in Creeting St Peter, near Stowmarket, five days later on 24 September. | Her body was found 25 miles (40km) away by a dog walker in a water-filled ditch in Creeting St Peter, near Stowmarket, five days later on 24 September. |
| Appearing via video link at Ipswich Crown Court, Wright, formerly of London Road, Ipswich, was told his trial would start on 2 February 2026 at the Old Bailey in London. | Appearing via video link at Ipswich Crown Court, Wright, formerly of London Road, Ipswich, was told his trial would start on 2 February 2026 at the Old Bailey in London. |
| Victoria Hall was yards away from her house near Felixstowe when she was last seen in 1999 | Victoria Hall was yards away from her house near Felixstowe when she was last seen in 1999 |
| Victoria Hall was yards away from her house near Felixstowe when she was last seen in 1999 | Victoria Hall was yards away from her house near Felixstowe when she was last seen in 1999 |
| Victoria had been on a night out with a friend at the Bandbox nightclub on the evening of 18 September 1999 and left the venue at about 01:00 BST the next morning. | Victoria had been on a night out with a friend at the Bandbox nightclub on the evening of 18 September 1999 and left the venue at about 01:00 BST the next morning. |
| They parted ways at about 02:20 BST, which is the last time Victoria was seen alive, near her home in Trimley St Mary. | They parted ways at about 02:20 BST, which is the last time Victoria was seen alive, near her home in Trimley St Mary. |
| Police launched a missing persons investigation after Victoria’s parents, Lorinda and Graham Hall, awoke in the morning to discover their daughter had not returned home. | Police launched a missing persons investigation after Victoria’s parents, Lorinda and Graham Hall, awoke in the morning to discover their daughter had not returned home. |
| At Ipswich Crown Court today, Wright pleaded not guilty to one count of unlawful kidnap by force or fraud and one count of murder. | At Ipswich Crown Court today, Wright pleaded not guilty to one count of unlawful kidnap by force or fraud and one count of murder. |
| Wright, 66, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court via video link | Wright, 66, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court via video link |
| Wright, 66, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court via video link | Wright, 66, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court via video link |
| The defendant did not enter a plea for the charge of the attempted kidnap of a 22-year-old woman on 18 September 1999 because it is now “subject to dismissal”. | The defendant did not enter a plea for the charge of the attempted kidnap of a 22-year-old woman on 18 September 1999 because it is now “subject to dismissal”. |
| The trial of Wright, who will remain in custody until 7 March 2026, is expected to last four weeks, and a further case management hearing will be held on 2 December. | The trial of Wright, who will remain in custody until 7 March 2026, is expected to last four weeks, and a further case management hearing will be held on 2 December. |
| Judge Martyn Levett said: “[The trial date] may seem some distance away but it will require an extraordinary amount of work between now and then.” | Judge Martyn Levett said: “[The trial date] may seem some distance away but it will require an extraordinary amount of work between now and then.” |
| Get in touch | Get in touch |
| Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? | Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? |
| Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external. | Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external. |
| Related topics | Related topics |
| Crown Prosecution Service | Crown Prosecution Service |
| Ipswich | Ipswich |
| Felixstowe | Felixstowe |