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Ipswich serial murders

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Location of Suffolk within England
Location of Ipswich within Suffolk

In December 2006, the bodies of five murdered women were discovered at different locations near Ipswich in Suffolk, United Kingdom. All five women were prostitutes working in Ipswich. Suffolk Police have linked the five of the killings in their murder investigation.[1]

Confirmed victims

File:Ipswich2006.svg.v2.png
The bodies of victims were found at various locations around Ipswich.

On 2 December 2006, the body of Gemma Adams, a 25-year-old prostitute working in Ipswich, was discovered in Belstead Brook near Hintlesham.[2] She had been missing since leaving home on 15 November, just over a fortnight before.[3] A member of the public spotted the body in the water at Thorpe's Hill, and it was identified as Adams. The police treated the death as suspicious.[4] After growing up in Kesgrave, she studied for a GNVQ in health and social care at Suffolk College, before gaining a job at a local insurance company. She had a heroin addiction, and after losing her job, Adams started working in prostitution to pay for her habit.[5] There is no evidence that Adams was sexually assaulted.[6]

Six days later, on 8 December 2006, the body of 19-year-old Tania Nicol, a friend of Adams, who had been missing since 30 October was discovered in water at Copdock Mill just outside Ipswich.[7] She was also a prostitute. There was no evidence she had been sexually assaulted.[6]

On the following Sunday, 10 December 2006, a third victim was found dead in an area of woodland by the A14 road by a member of the public near Nacton village which is a short distance outside the town. She was later identified as 24-year-old Anneli Alderton, and according to a police statement, was asphyxiated.[8]

On 12 December 2006, Suffolk police announced that the bodies of two additional women had been found.[9] On December 14, 2006 police confirmed that one of those bodies is that of Paula Clennell, 24.[10] She went missing on 10 December and was last seen in Ipswich.[11] In Suffolk Police's words she died from compression of the throat.[12] On December 15, the police now confirmed that the other body is that of missing Annette Nicholls, 29, who went missing on 5 December.[13] These bodies were also found in Nacton near the Levington turn-off of the A1156, in the vicinity of where Anneli Alderton was found. A member of the public had seen one of the bodies just 20 feet (6 m) from the main road, and the police discovered the second body by helicopter whilst conducting their initial investigation.

The police investigation

Suffolk police have linked three of the killings and have launched a murder investigation.[14] At a press conference on December 10, detectives from the Suffolk Constabulary issued a warning to all women in Ipswich not to work the streets, and revealed they had received offers of assistance from neighbouring police forces, particularly Norfolk, in their hunt for the killer or killers.

Chief Constable Alastair McWhirter has also acknowledged that the Suffolk force will be reliant on external assistance due to the magnitude of the investigation. A senior investigator with the Metropolitan Police, Commander Dave Johnston was reported to have been drafted into the murder inquiry team from Scotland Yard in London, to advise the Suffolk force.[15] The day-to-day investigation is being conducted by Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull. Police have not ruled out a possible link between the current investigation and the 1992 killings in Suffolk.[citation needed]

At subsequent press conferences on 13 December and 14 December, DCS Gull revealed that police believe the locations where the five corpses were found to have been 'deposition sites' not murder scenes - that the victims were all killed elsewhere and transported to the locations where they were later found - although he was unable to indicate where the women had been murdered, nor whether the crimes took place at a single location or at multiple sites. He also revealed that some items of women's clothing and accessories including a handbag and jacket had been recovered and were being subjected to forensic tests to establish whether they belonged to any of the murdered women[citation needed].

During the course of the press briefings, DCS Gull stated that over 200 police officers were involved in the investigation, and some 400-450 calls were being received daily by detectives.

On 15 December Suffolk Constabulary website revealed that a total of 7,300 telephone calls had been made to police regarding the investigation, and that over 250 police staff were working on the cases, with support from 26 other police forces. [16]

Officers are also trying to establish whether the deaths of the five women in Suffolk are linked to the murders or disappearances of six other women and teenage girls in East Anglia, over the past 13 years [6] and four more in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, in the past month. These include:

  • Natalie Pearman, aged 16, from Norwich. Disappeared in November 1992, her body was found at Ringland Hills near Norwich. She had been strangled and was found partially clothed. [17]
  • Johanna Young, aged 14, from Watton Reported missing on 23 December 1992, she was found in a nearby freezing pond half naked on Boxing Day (December 26). [17]
  • Mandy Duncan, aged 26, from Woodbridge, Suffolk. Disappeared in 1993 in Ipswich; her body has never been found.
  • Vicky Hall, aged 17, was from Trimley St. Mary in Suffolk. Vanished on 19 September 1999, her body was found 5 days later 25 miles away in a river at Creeting St. Peter near Stowmarket.[18]
  • Kellie Pratt, aged 29, from Norwich. Disappeared in 2000 in Norwich; her body has never been found.
  • Michelle Bettles, aged 22, from Norwich. Reported missing on 28 March 2002, she was found dead 3 days later near Dereham in woodland at Scarning. Her body was found clothed.[19]
  • Molly Jean Dilts, 20; Kim Raffo, 35; Tracy Ann Roberts, 23; and Barbara V. Breidor, 42. All were known prostitutes and were found murdered in Atlantic City in the month prior to the first recent Ipswich murder.[20]

Media coverage

In the early days of the investigation, the media did not take an interest in the story until the discovery of the body of Anneli Alderton. It was soon given blanket coverage across the press and broadcast news, with the British 24-hour-news channels Sky News and BBC News 24 devoting little time to any other events.

The murders are said to have raised memories of Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper" who murdered 13 women, mainly those who worked in prostitution, over a period of five years in northern England;[21] and to "Jack the Ripper" the infamous Victorian serial murderer who also targeted prostitutes.[22]

As with many previous serial killers dating back to Jack the Ripper, many sections of the media have attempted to coin a name for the presumed murderer, using the terms "Ipswich Ripper"[23], "Suffolk Strangler",[24], "Suffolk Ripper"[25] and "East Anglia Ripper"[26] to refer to the case. Local Ipswich press have also referred to them as the "Brook Murders"[citation needed], after the locations where the first two victims were found. In Australia, the media has referred to the killer as the "Red Light Ripper"; in reference to Red-light districts, which prostitutes frequent.[27]

Television news broadcasts have been presented from outside Suffolk Police headquarters, exemplified by the December 13 news conference including questions from well-known presenters such as Fiona Bruce and Kay Burley rather than the usual reporters. Extensive coverage was provided by BBC's Look East.

An ITV News Anglia Tonight reporter interviewed Paula Clennell about the initial murders just days before she went missing.[28] She spoke of being wary of getting into cars with clients but continuing to work on the streets as she needed the money to fund her drug habit.[28]

There have been multiple rewards offered by many well-established companies across England, such as The News Of The World, which has offered a £250,000 reward for leads to a direct arrest and conviction of the murderer/murderers.[29]

The murders have refocussed press attention on a number of continuing issues and controversies that persist in British politics.

The first is that of prostitution in the United Kingdom. The laws concerning this have long been criticised.[30][31][32] The Blair government had proposed changes to legislation related to prostitution in January 2006[33] but has not proceeded with them.[34] The murders have highlighted the vulnerability of prostitutes and the lack of action taken by the government (whether this were to be more punitive in the hope of reducing the numbers of prostitutes touting for business on the streets, or to move towards legalised brothels and other measures thought to improve the safety of the women).

The second is that of drug abuse and whether it should be legalised/decriminalised or penalised more harshly.[citation needed] High numbers (95% according to the Home Office[35]) of prostitutes are known to have a history of substance abuse and prostitution is one means of funding addiction.

A third area of debate relates to possible restructuring of police forces in Britain. During 2005, the government proposed merging smaller police forces in England and Wales (of which Suffolk Constabulary is one) with their neighbouring counterparts with the stated aims of improving the ability to pursue major inquiries (such as anti-terrorism, drug-trafficking and other similar complex investigations) and making efficiency savings. [36] Following further debate, including widespread opposition to the plans [37], it was decided in mid-2006 to drop these proposals. The pressure placed on police in the Suffolk Constabulary by the scale of the current murder investigations in and around Ipswich has prompted renewed discussion over the possible need for restructuring to regional and national policing in the United Kingdom.[citation needed]

Local response to events

In response to the killings a Reclaim the Night is being organised for Friday December the 29th.

Timeline of events

  • October 30 - Tania Nicol goes missing.
  • November 7 - Nicol's mother issues an appeal for information.
  • November 15 - Gemma Adams goes missing, police appeal for information.
  • December 2 - Gemma Adams's body is found near Hintlesham west of Ipswich.
  • December 3 - Anneli Alderton goes missing.
  • December 5 - Annette Nicholls goes missing.
  • December 8 - Tania Nicol's body is found near Copdock southwest of Ipswich.
  • December 9 - Police confirm "obvious similarities" between the deaths of Nicol and Adams.
  • December 10 - Anneli Alderton's body is found near Nacton. Paula Clenell goes missing.
  • December 12 - Two bodies, believed to be those of Nicholls and Clenell, are found in close proximity to one another near Levington to the southeast of Ipswich.
  • December 13 - Police in Suffolk reveal that there has been a large public response in aid of the investigation.
  • December 13 - Clothes of two women were found. [38]
  • December 14 - Police confirm that one of the bodies found on December 12 near Levington is that of missing prostitute Paula Clenell.[10]
  • December 15 - Police confirm that the second of the bodies found on December 12 is that of missing prostitute Annette Nicholls.[13]

See also

Media resources

Newspaper editorials

References

  1. ^ "Father's plea over murdered Tania". BBC News. BBC. December 15 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Prostitute's body found in Suffolk". National News. JobsNation.net. December 4 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Photo bid to find missing women". BBC News. BBC. 18 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Body identified as missing woman". BBC News. BBC. December 3 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Report from The Sun
  6. ^ a b c "Timeline: The prostitute murder probe". The Daily Mail. December 11 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Police link murders of two women". National News. icCheshireOnline. December 9 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Third prostitute 'was strangled'". BBC News. BBC. December 12 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Naughton, Philippe (December 12 2006). "Two more women found dead near Ipswich". The Times. Retrieved 2006-12-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b "Fourth Strangler victim confirmed as Paula Clennell". News. ThisIsLondon.co.uk. December 14 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Davies, Caroline (December 12 2006). "Five bodies found in Suffolk murder hunt". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-12-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Woman found in woodland strangled". BBC News. BBC. December 14 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b "Fifth murdered woman identified". BBC. December 15 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Forensic teams scour murder scene". BBC News. BBC. December 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Stephen, Wright (December 13, 2006). "Enter the Yard expert". The Daily Mail. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Suffolk murder enquiries: Daily update Suffolk Constabulary website
  17. ^ a b Balls, Richard (December 14, 2006). "Mysteries that still baffle the police". EDP24 Features. EDP24. Retrieved 2006-12-14.
  18. ^ Percival, Jenny (December 11, 2006). "Police hunting serial killer fear for two missing prostitutes". The Times. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Man's fears over daughter's death". BBC News. BBC. December 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14.
  20. ^ Barnes, Edward (December 14, 2006). "'Ipswich Ripper' Prostitute Murder Investigators Eye Atlantic City Cases for Possible Link". Fox News. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Horsnell, Michael (December 13, 2006 (Australian Date)). "Another Yorkshire Ripper feared". The Australian. Retrieved 2006-12-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "World papers talk of 'new ripper'". BBC News. BBC. December 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ Bennetto, Jason (December 12, 2006). "The Ipswich Ripper: How a town became a hunting ground". The Independent. Retrieved 2006-12-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Police hunt for Suffolk strangler". East Anglian Daily Times. December 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  25. ^ Bennetto, Jason (December 12, 2006). "Fears grow over prostitute deaths". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2006-12-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Chittenden, Maurice (December 10, 2006). "Fear that 'East Anglia Ripper' has killed six". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2006-12-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Red-Light Ripper feared". The Daily Telegraph (Australia). December 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ a b "Feared victim: I must work, I need the money". CNN. December 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "Catch Him: News of the World offers £250,000 reward". News of the World. December 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ Morris, Nigel (December 14, 2006). "Calls grow for reform of laws on prostitution". The Independent. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Waterhouse, Keith (January 19, 2006). "How to book the hookers and the hooked". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ Reade, Brian (January 19, 2006). "WHY LABOUR'S FAILED TO TACKLE THE GAME". The Mirror. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "A long-term approach to tackling prostitution". About Us. Home Office.gov.uk. January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ "Calls grow for reform of laws on prostitution". The Guardian. December 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ "Paying the Price: a consultation paper on prostitution" (PDF). Home Office Communication Directorate. July 16, 2004. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  36. ^ "Plan to cut police forces to 12". BBC News. BBC. November 10, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "58% oppose police mergers - poll". BBC News. BBC. May 20, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ Alessia Pierdomenico (2006-12-13). "Keep off the streets, prostitutes urged". Reuters.
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