Steve Wright's house

This is the former home of serial killer Steve Wright.

It is located at 79 London Road in Ipswich, England.

Wright, who was nicknamed the Suffolk Strangler, murdered five women between October 30th and December 10th, 2006.

Over a 41-day period, he picked up five sex workers in Ipswich's red light district, asphyxiated them, and then dumped their remains in rural areas on the outskirts of the city.

On two occasions, he posed his victims in the shape of a cross and carefully arranged their hair above their heads.

The forklift driver and former dock worker rented this end-terrace house with his girlfriend, Pamela Wright, who coincidentally had the same surname as him. They moved into the apartment at the start of October 2006, which was just weeks before the killings began.

Wright patronized sex workers throughout most of his adult life. His activities in the red light district drastically increased when his girlfriend started working the night shift at a local call center.

After dropping Pamela off at work, he would cruise around in his Ford Mondeo, pick up sex workers, and bring them back to his place. Wright liked to put two jackets on the bedroom floor instead of using his bed, as he was worried that his girlfriend might notice the women's scent on the sheets.

Like most serial killers who target sex workers, he did not harm every woman that he brought home. In fact, Wright was such a frequent customer that many of the girls were familiar with him and felt at ease in his company.

This would explain how he was able to continue killing even after the police had publicly announced that a serial killer was operating in the area.

Although some media outlets referred to 79 London Road as a "house of horrors," it is unclear whether any of the murders took place at this address. The police reportedly told one tenant that they didn't believe anyone was harmed inside the house.

Investigators identified Wright after his DNA was found on three of the bodies. Four years earlier, his DNA had been entered into the police database system after he was convicted of stealing a small sum of cash from his employer.

Blood belonging to two of the women was found on a jacket in his house, while specks of blood from another victim were discovered on the back seat of his Mondeo.

Security cameras recorded him driving close to where two of the girls had been picked up. The police also located CCTV footage of his vehicle driving in the direction of the rural areas where the bodies were dumped.

Wright was arrested on December 19th, 2006. In February 2008, he was found guilty of all five murders and sentenced to life in prison.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

79 London Road

Image source: Google Maps

Steve and Pam Wright rented a small, unkempt house at 79 London Road. Property records show that it is roughly 1,060 square feet in size. It was last sold for £59,500 in March 1998.

Wright was well known to sex workers in Ipswich. One woman told the Guardian newspaper that he hired her several times between 2003 and 2006. She also said that he had picked up the fourth victim, Annette Nicholls, on multiple occasions.

The women who worked in the district became worried when news broke that a serial killer was on the prowl. However, they refused to stop working due to their addictions. Many convinced themselves that they would immediately recognize the killer if he approached them.

Others thought that they were playing it safe by refusing to go with anyone who wasn't a regular.

The locations where Wright's victims were last seen

Wright's house was situated in the middle of Ipswich's red light district. Four of the five victims were last seen in the area.

Following the murders, local authorities clamped down on the industry and began offering sex workers drug rehabilitation. This largely worked. However, in October 2021, Suffolk News reported that a small number of women had returned to working on the streets.

In 2006, there were approximately 30 women working in the area. By 2021, that number had fallen to 8–9.