He was found guilty of all five murders on 21 February 2008, and was sentenced the following day to life imprisonment, with a recommendation that he should never be released from prison.

[3][4] Six days later, on 8 December, 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.

[5] On 10 December, a third victim, found by a member of the public in an area of woodland by the A14 road near Nacton, was later identified as 24-year-old Anneli Alderton.

[6][7] In a press conference, investigators from the Suffolk Constabulary warned all women to stay away from the red light district of Ipswich.

[14] Chief Constable Alastair McWhirter acknowledged that his police force would be reliant on external assistance owing to the magnitude of the investigation.

[5][16] During the course of the press briefings, DCS Gull stated that over 300 police officers were involved in the investigation, and some 400–450 calls were being received daily by detectives.

[21] Her body was discovered by police divers on 8 December in a river near Copdock Mill;[22] there was no evidence of sexual assault and a post mortem could not establish a definite cause of death.

[21] Nicol attended Chantry High School but had left home at 16 to live in a hostel,[21] engaging in sex work to fund her addiction to heroin and cocaine.

[21] Gemma Rose Adams,[25] aged 25, born in Kesgrave, was last seen on West End Road in Ipswich, where she had been living; she disappeared on 14 November at about 01:15 (UTC).

[23] She had been working as a sex worker to finance her drug addiction, which had already led to loss of her job with an insurance firm.

[21] Nicholls' body was found on 12 December near Levington, naked but not sexually assaulted, and also posed in the cruciform position; a definite cause of death could not be established, but her breathing had been hampered.

[21] Nicholls, the oldest victim, had been a drug addict since the early 2000s, shortly after completing a beautician's course at Suffolk College.

[5] Clennell was found naked, but not sexually assaulted and a post mortem reported that she had been killed by a compression of her throat.

[11] Prior to her death, Clennell commented on the then recent murders in an interview with Anglia News, stating that despite them making her "a bit wary about getting into cars" she continued to work because "I need the money.

[36] Hall was last seen alive in the early hours of 19 September 1999, in High Road, Trimley St Mary, Suffolk.

On 21 December, a joint statement was issued by DCS Gull and Michael Crimp, senior prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in Suffolk, announcing that the second suspect identified as Steve Wright had been charged with the murder of all five women.

[41] Bail conditions were cancelled on 6 June 2007 for the first suspect, as no more inquiries concerning the case were planned involving this person.

[50] The prosecutor suggested that 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.

Your sympathy ... must not sway you ... You may view with some distaste the lifestyles of those involved ... whatever the drugs they took, whatever the work they did, no-one is entitled to do these women any harm, let alone kill them.

[53] A murder conviction carries an automatic term of life imprisonment but the judge could decide if Wright was eligible for parole.

[54] On 22 February Wright was sentenced to life imprisonment, the judge recommending against parole because the murders involved a "substantial degree of pre-meditation and planning".

Where a daughter and the other victims were given no human rights by the monster, his will be guarded by the establishment at great cost to the taxpayers of this country and emotionally to the bereaved families.

[58] Investigations into other crimes Wright might have committed continue, including the possibility of an involvement in the Suzy Lamplugh disappearance.

[64] As with 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 "Suffolk Strangler"[65] and other terms to refer to the case.

[72] On 21 December 2006, the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith issued guidance to the media after concerns were raised by Suffolk Constabulary about the coverage and potential prejudice of a future trial.

Lord Goldsmith urged the media to show restraint in what they reported about the two suspects being held, for fear of prejudicing any possible trial.

[73] A senior prosecutor on the case, Michael Crimp, also expressed his concerns about potentially prejudicial media coverage: "Steven Wright stands accused of these offences and has a right to a fair trial before a jury.

The government had at one point considered allowing "mini brothels",[75] but abandoned this plan after fears that such establishments would bring pimps and drug dealers into residential areas.

[87] A musical play, London Road, commissioned by the Royal National Theatre and written by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork, is based on interviews with residents of the street in Ipswich where Steve Wright lived.