The father of a teenage girl who was murdered by the Suffolk Strangler has said he has endured "26 years of hell".
Graham Hall, supported by his son Steven Hall, addressed those gathered outside the Old Bailey in London on Friday, less than an hour after a judge had told his daughter's killer Steve Wright that he would almost certainly die in prison.
Wright, 67, and formerly of London Road, Ipswich, had finally brough 26 years of uncertainty to an end on Monday when he admitted killing 17-year-old Victoria as she walked to her home in Trimley St Mary after a night out in Felixstowe.
The last moments of Victoria's life were detailed in court, with the prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC setting out that Victoria died within an hour or two of being abducted by Wright.
Victoria's mother, Lorinda Hall, died in December, meaning that she never got to see Wright brought to justice.
However, Victoria's father and brother were at the Old Bailey on Friday. There, Wright was handed a sentence of 40 years for murdering Victoria. He was also sentenced for her kidnap and for the attempted kidnap of Emily Doherty the night before.
Graham Hall said: "Victoria was a loving girl with her whole life before her.
"All this was snatched away from her by Steve Wright. We lost our lovely daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter.
"We have endured 26 years of hell, which will continue from today onwards and forever."
He thanked Suffolk Constabulary for their continued support over the years.
Samantha Woolley, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Justice has finally been achieved for Victoria Hall after 26 years.
“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.”
What did the judge say about the police?
During the hearing, it was heard that Wright's vehicle was identified as one of 56 in Suffolk which matched the description of a vehicle given by Emily Doherty. This number was narrowed down to 10.
Mr Justice Bennathan questioned whether Suffolk Constabulary could have made the connection at the time of the investigation.
He asked the court:
However, the judge also observed that given that Wright's murder of Victoria happened so quickly after Emily Doherty was almost kidnapped, it is hard to think that Wright would have been apprehended already, meaning that the chances of preventing Victoria's death may only have been slight.
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