DNA linked accused to Ipswich murders

By Peter Griffiths

IPSWICH (Reuters) - Blood from two prostitutes was found on a jacket worn by the man accused of killing them and three others in a "campaign of murder" in Suffolk, a court heard on Thursday.

DNA from forklift truck driver Steve Wright, 49, was also found on the bodies of three of the victims, a jury at Ipswich Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Peter Wright said the scientific evidence painted a "compelling picture" of the defendant's guilt. The chances of the DNA matches occurring by chance was one in a billion.

"These findings point not to an unfortunate coincidence, but rather to the defendant as being engaged in an active campaign of murder," he said. "A campaign that only came to an end with his arrest.

The accused denies killing Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls, whose naked bodies were found dumped at rural locations around Ipswich within the space of just 10 days in late 2006.

The jury heard how bloodstains on the defendant's yellow reflective jacket came from Clennell and Nicholls.

It was unsurprising that no DNA evidence was found on the bodies of Nicol and Adams because they had been submerged in water for weeks, the prosecution said.

Evidence was also found on two pairs of gloves taken from Wright's car.