Suffolk Strangler's Sole Survivor: Police Dismissal May Have Cost Lives
Suffolk Strangler Survivor: Police Failure May Have Cost Lives

Suffolk Strangler's Sole Survivor Speaks Out on Police Failures

The only living victim of notorious serial killer Steve Wright, known as the "Suffolk Strangler," has broken her silence in an exclusive interview, revealing how police dismissal of her 1999 abduction attempt may have enabled his subsequent murder spree.

Missed Opportunity to Prevent Tragedy

Emily Doherty, now speaking publicly for the first time, describes how Suffolk Police treated her like a "silly little girl" when she reported Wright's attempted kidnapping in Felixstowe. This occurred just hours before his first confirmed murder victim, 17-year-old Victoria Hall, disappeared from the same area.

"It's devastating what happened to everyone else," Emily told Sky News. "You can't help thinking, if they had taken me seriously, Vicky could have survived, but certainly if they had found him sooner the five other women would still be here."

The Night of Terror in Felixstowe

On September 18, 1999, 22-year-old Emily was walking home from the Bandbox club when she became separated from her companions. What followed was a forty-minute ordeal of terror as a man in a car repeatedly stalked her through the streets of Felixstowe.

"There was this car going backwards and forwards past me, loitering," Emily recalled. "He parked up, and I thought the driver was having a wee. He was just standing by the car. He saw me and I saw him."

When the driver suddenly appeared beside her on Park Avenue, speaking in a "low, sleazy way," Emily knew her life was in immediate danger. She fled, eventually finding refuge with a couple who called emergency services.

Police Response and Subsequent Murders

When officers arrived, they questioned how much Emily had been drinking rather than investigating her serious claims. Despite offering partial license plate details and requesting to make a formal statement, police dismissed her concerns.

"They said that won't be necessary. Forget about it," Emily remembered. "I really felt like they did not take me seriously at all. They treated me like a silly little girl."

The very next day, Victoria Hall vanished while walking home from the same club Emily had visited. Her body was discovered five days later, twenty-five miles from Felixstowe.

Seven Years Later: The Ipswich Murders

Wright remained at large for seven more years before embarking on his notorious killing spree in 2006. During this period, he murdered five sex workers in the Ipswich area:

  • Tania Nicol, 19
  • Gemma Adams, 25
  • Anneli Alderton, 24
  • Paula Clennell, 24
  • Annette Nicholls, 29

All were found in rural locations, mirroring the disposal of Victoria Hall's body. Wright was eventually arrested in December 2006 and received a whole life sentence in February 2008 for these murders.

Recent Developments and Guilty Plea

Victoria Hall's murder remained officially unsolved until the case was reopened twenty years later. On Monday, Wright changed his plea to guilty at the Old Bailey, finally admitting to Victoria's murder and Emily's attempted abduction.

Emily, who was living overseas during Wright's 2006 killing spree, only saw his photograph when Victoria's case was reinvestigated. "Why didn't they show me a picture of the suspect?" she questions, highlighting another potential investigative failure.

Carrying the Burden of Survival

Now grappling with profound survivor's guilt, Emily reflects on the heavy emotional toll of knowing her experience was minimized by authorities.

"I'm suffering massively from survivor's guilt… It's a burden that I carry," she confessed. "There's the guilt of not being heard. It makes me feel sick with grief."

Suffolk Police declined to comment on specific evidential matters ahead of Wright's sentencing, leaving unanswered questions about whether different handling of Emily's report could have prevented multiple tragedies.

Wright is due to be sentenced today, with prosecutors expected to outline the case they would have presented had he not pleaded guilty to Victoria Hall's murder and Emily Doherty's attempted abduction.