Steve Wright sentencing live: 'Suffolk Strangler' told he'll die in prison after admitting to 1999 murder and kidnap

We're ending our coverage now after serial killer Steve Wright, 67, was handed a life sentence for the 1999 kidnap and murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall and the attempted kidnap of Emily Doherty.

The judge set a minimum term of 40 years but told Wright he will die in prison. 

He's already serving a whole life sentence for the murders of five other women. 

Wright showed no emotion as the sentence was passed and he was taken down to the cells. 

Watch the moment he was sentenced...

Wright's sentence technically breaks down as:

• nine years for attempted kidnap of Emily Doherty
• 12 years for kidnap of Victoria Hall
• Life with a minimum of 40 years for murder of Victoria Hall

But all the sentences will be served concurrently, so it's a life term with a minimum of 40 years overall. 

'We've endured 26 years of hell'

Graham Hall, Victoria's father, spoke to the media after his daughter's killer was sentenced.

He described Victoria as a "loving girl with a whole life before her, with plans of what she wanted to achieve".

"All of this was snatched away from her by Steve Wright, we lost our lovely daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter," he said.

"We have endured 26 years of hell, which will continue from today, onwards and forever".

Meanwhile, Matthew Connick, detective chief inspector at Suffolk Police, said "time is no barrier to justice".

Samantha Woolley of the Crown Prosecution Service said Wright "represents the very worst of humanity and is exactly where he belongs".

She added that the CPS will "relentlessly pursue justice for victims and families" no matter how many years or decades have passed.

"Time is no barrier," she said.

These pictures released by the Crown Prosecution Service show the scene after Victoria Hall's body was discovered.

Steve Wright, 67, was due to go on trial for the murder of Hall on Monday.

But he changed his plea to guilty, which was the first time Wright had admitted to any killings.

Wright has received another life sentence today, as we've been reporting here.

We thought we might hear if there was going to be an inquiry into missed opportunities after Steve Wright's sentencing.

But our correspondent Emma Birchley says that "certainly didn't come".

Check out our 13.31 post about the partial number plate given to police by his only surviving victim, still seen by Emily Doherty as a "what if" moment, which could have avoided subsequent murders.

"We've talked about those potential missed opportunities, but interestingly, Vicki's father Graham clearly had a lot of praise for the police," she says.

Watch Birchley's reaction after the statements...

Samantha Woolley of the Crown Prosecution Service is now speaking to the media after Steve Wright was sentenced.

The specialist prosecutor pays tribute to Victoria Hall and says "justice has finally come after 26 years".

"Much attention will be made of Steve Wright being convicted of another murder, attention he will likely enjoy," she says.

"He represents the very worst of humanity and is exactly where he belongs. In prison."

Woolley says the CPS will "relentlessly pursue justice for victims and families" no matter how many years or decades have passed.

"Time is no barrier," she adds.

"Our thoughts today remain with those who loved and cherished Victoria, and with everyone whose lives have been affected by that devastating loss.

"We also hold in mind Emily Doherty and her family, who continue to feel the impact of her ordeal. We stand with each of them in this incredibly difficult time."

We're now hearing from Matthew Connick, detective chief inspector at Suffolk Police, after Steve Wright's sentencing.

He says Victoria Hall's murder was an "appalling crime".

DCI Connick pays tribute to Hall's father and brother, saying the sentencing today proves "time is no barrier to justice".

The detective also says the police do not underestimate the impact of Wright's crimes on his only surviving victim, Emily Doherty.

Although Wright eventually pleaded guilty on Monday, the detective adds it was not an "early" guilty plea.

Today has always been about the "strength, courage and dignity" of Victoria's family, the DCI concludes.

Graham Hall, Victoria's father , is speaking to the media after his daughter's killer was sentenced.

He starts by saying "unfortunately my wife Lorinda has not lived to see this day".

"She did know that it probably was Steve Wright," he says.

He describes Victoria as a "loving girl with a whole life before her, with plans of what she wanted to achieve".

"All of this was snatched away from her by Steve Wright, we lost our lovely daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter," he says.

"We have endured 26 years of hell which will continue from today, onwards and forever".

Emily Doherty was 22 years old when, in the early hours of Saturday 18 September 1999, she was walking home from a club called the Bandbox with her husband and another couple.

The two women ended up way ahead and then her friend said she had to go, leaving Emily alone in the Picketts Road East (off the High Road area of Felixstowe in Suffolk).

Steve Wright attempted to kidnap Doherty, who has told Paste BN how she had to flee from him repeatedly until someone came to her aid.

The CCTV image below, released by prosecutors just now after Wright's sentencing, shows Doherty leaving the club that night.

The Crown Prosecution Service has shared CCTV pictures showing Steve Wright just a few hours after Victoria Hall was kidnapped.

He was seen at a petrol station around five miles from the site where he dumped her body at around 6.15am on 19 September 1999.

The stills were examined by two facial comparison experts who, separately and using different reference images, compared the stills to photos of Wright.

Both experts concluded it was "more than probable" that the man seen in the CCTV is Wright.

Samantha Woolley, a specialist prosecutor who led the Crown Prosecution Service case, said "justice has finally been achieved for Victoria Hall after 26 years".

In a statement, she said: 

"The meticulous work we have carried out with Suffolk Police, supporting their investigation and working hard to bring this case to court, has resulted in Wright admitting his guilt.

"Our case was bolstered by critical DNA evidence made possible because of pioneering new forensic techniques – along with a wealth of other evidence which gave him little choice but to plead guilty.

"Much attention will be made of Steve Wright being convicted of another murder, attention he does not deserve. 

"Quite simply, he represents the very worst of humanity and I hope he will now be forgotten.

"This outcome should make plain that time does not preclude a successful prosecution; we will doggedly pursue justice for the victims of non-recent crimes, no matter how many decades have passed.

"Our thoughts remain with Victoria's family, and all those who loved and cherished her."

Serial killer Steve Wright, 67, has been handed a life sentence for the 1999 kidnap and murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall and the attempted kidnap of Emily Doherty. 

The judge sets a minimum term of 40 years but tells Wright he will die in prison. 

He's already serving a whole life sentence for the murders of five other women. 

Wright showed no emotion as the sentence was passed and taken down to the cells. 

Wright's sentence technically breaks down as:

• 9 years for attempted kidnap of Emily Doherty
• 12 years for kidnap of Victoria Hall
• Life with a minimum of 40 years for murder of Victoria Hall

But all the sentences will be served concurrently, so it's a life term with a minimum of 40 years overall. As the judge explained, though, it makes no difference to his overall outcome of dying in prison, because he already has a life sentence for the five murders he committed in 2006.