Suffolkater - Court Appearances

Court Appearances

Wright appeared before magistrates in Ipswich on 22 December 2006 and was remanded in custody. On 2 January 2007, Wright appeared before Ipswich Crown Court and was remanded in custody to appear before a court on 1 May. At 1 May appearance, Wright formally entered a plea of not guilty. In July 2007, Wright appeared at a pre-trial hearing in London where it was announced the trial would begin 14 January 2008.

On 14 January 2008, Wright appeared at Ipswich Crown Court ahead of his trial, which began on 16 January, with the prosecution opening their case. The court heard how the bodies of two of the victims, Anneli Alderton and Annette Nicholls, were deliberately posed in the cruciform position, with DNA evidence linking Steve Wright to three of the victims and fibre evidence also connecting him to the victims. The defence argued that Wright was a frequenter of prostitutes, and he had "full sex" with all of the victims, barring Tania Nichols, whom he "picked up" with the intention of sexual relations, but apparently changed his mind and dropped her off back in the red light district of Ipswich. This contradicted Wright's earlier statement when stopped by police in the district in the early hours of the morning, when he gave the police the impression he was unaware he was in the red light district and that he was driving around because he could not sleep. Wright's rented flat is located in the red light area.

On 21 January, jurors were taken to sites involved in the case. These included Wright's rented house, which they viewed only from the outside, and the areas where the victims were found.

During the trial, the prosecutor, Peter Wright QC, suggested that Steve Wright may not have acted alone, as the remains of Anneli Alderton were found some distance from the road but with no evidence that her body had been dragged by one person.