Gemma Algar says her and Victoria were excited to turn 18 when she last saw her.

She says what happened "turned my life upside down" and her happy memories of Victoria had been "overshadowed" by the loss.

"I was also terrified," she says of what happened. "The person out there was still responsible.. for a long time I could not bear to be on my own."

She adds that the guilty plea does give justice to Victoria and "finally answers one question, the who".

"Vicky lost her life, there is nothing that can even start to make up for that."

Gemma Algar, who was with Victoria Hall on the night she was killed, is now reading her victim impact statement to the court.

She is emotional as she stands in front of the court.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward is reading the victim impact statement from Emily Doherty, who Wright tried to abduct the night before he killed Victoria Hall.

Doherty says she had been enjoying a night out with her husband and friends before she had walked home, and had hardly had any drink on the night - "which was unusual".

Speaking about being followed by Wright, she says:

"I have never been so scared in my life. I thought my heart was going to explode in my chest.

"I had never ran so fast or jumped over walls like that."

Her statement says when the police eventually came over to the stranger's home she sought refuge in, they did not believe her and they questioned how much she had drank.

"To this day I am furious," she adds.

"I wasn't taken serious. I was made to feel like a silly little girl.

"They made no note of anything I said. They told me to forget all about it."

"For 25 years I have wondered what if? I have survivor's guilt."

Brian Farmer
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward has told the court we will hear several victim impact statements today.

They will be from Victoria Hall's father, brother and her best friend Gemma Algar.

We will also hear more from Emily Doherty.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward says Suffolk Police reopened Victoria Hall's case in 2019. Wright was being treated as a "subject" in that investigation, along with 438 other people.

In June 2020 he was formally declared a suspect and a decision was made to prioritise police activity related to him and DNA evidence.

Ledward tells the court a pubic hair from the original investigation was retested and a mixed profile was obtained, meaning there could have been three contributors.

A further, newer test developed recently was then used to test the hair and "the findings were consistent with the defendant or a close male relative".

Alice Cunningham
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward is now telling the court the actions of Wright following Victoria Hall's disappearance.

The following was not known at the time of the original investigation, she says.

Ledward says dock-worker Wright was off shift over the weekend Victoria went missing, but returned to work on Monday 20 September 1999 as news of what happened to her hit the press.

When a colleague asked for his thoughts on what happened to Victoria, Wright said: "You do not want to know."

He had reported a "rare injury" at work and went on to leave the country shortly after, spending two months in Thailand.

His work contract at the docks was terminated.

Steve Wright has his head down, looking toward his feet, in the dock. He is wearing a grey sweat shirt and trousers.

He appears to be emotionless as the court is being told of the findings of Victoria Hall's post-mortem examination following her death.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward says: "There was no evidence of injury to the bone structures or the muscles of the neck... it was likely she died two hours of last being seen.

"This could have been considerably shorter, perhaps even one hour."

It was likely the cause of death was asphyxiation and there was no evidence to suggest chloroform was used, she says.

A video is shown to the court showing the distance between where Victoria Hall lived in Trimley St Mary and where her body was found in Creeting St Peter, about 25 miles (40km) away.

The court is quiet as everyone watches.

Victoria's family remain composed as they watch and listen on.

Victoria Hall's absence was noticed early on 19 September 1999, prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward tells the court, and she was reported missing.

Ledward says Victoria's body was found by a dog walker five days later - 25 miles away (40km) in Creeting St Peter, and it was his dog who drew his attention to what he thought was a "life-sized doll".

"Unable to decide what the situation was he went home and returned immediately with family," Ledward says.

"Between them they realised they were looking at a body and called the police."

Ledward adds: “The body was unclothed and laying on its back face up."

A crime scene was established shortly afterwards and Victoria's body was removed the following day.

Her parents were able to identify her.

Alice Cunningham
Reporting from the Old Bailey

There was "no doubt" the person who attempted to abduct Emily Doherty on 18 September was the same person who kidnapped Victoria Hall, prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward tells the court.

“The defendant must have spotted her... and lain in wait," she says.

She adds that Victoria "stood no chance of escaping", but it was believed she was alive for "at least some time" after she was taken.

Brian Farmer
Reporting from the Old Bailey

"Several neighbours heard one or two high-pitched screams," prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward tells the court of around the time when Victoria Hall disappeared.

As well as this, other people heard similar screams "followed by a car being driven away at speed".

Ledward says one person in the area reported at the time: "The car sounded as if it skidded as it pulled away."

From the descriptions given to police of where screams had been heard, Ledward says this suggests the car had been on Faulkeners Way, which was near to where Victoria lived.

Alice Cunningham
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Steve Wright is continuing to listen to the case being outlined from the dock.

At the moment he has his head down as he listens, but he is fidgeting slightly in his seat.

Brian Farmer
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward says Gemma Algar said goodbye to Victoria Hall a short distance from her home, at about 02:00 and then continued to walk along High Road East.

Victoria told Gemma she would ring her the next morning, but this would be the last time she saw her alive.

When Algar was near a nursery, "she heard two female high pitched screams", Ledward says.

She adds: "She described them as only a few seconds long and close to each other.

"She thought at the time it was probably someone messing about and she didn't hear any other noises like car noises."

Gemma arrived home at 02:30 BST exactly and knew this as she had checked the time on her kitchen microwave.

Alice Cunningham
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward is now telling the court what happened on the night Victoria Hall disappeared.

She says Victoria was enjoying a night out with her friend Gemma Algar where they had "one drink" and "danced" at the Bandbox nightclub in Felixstowe.

They left at 01:00 before heading home. They stopped to share a bag of chips on the way.

"Gemma remembers it was a dark, cold, windy night so they started to walk home," Ledward says.

"On the way Victoria removed her shoes because her feet were sore. It was very quiet on the roads but it wasn't deserted."

Spirits were high and the pair sang as they walked.

Ledward says "a number of other witnesses" saw the girls during their journey.

As prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward tells the court about what the police were doing to find the car Emily Doherty described, the judge asks: "Has there been or will there be an inquiry into the police about what went wrong?"

Ledward says the police are doing this, but it is not for her to comment on.

Alice Cunningham
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Family members and friends of Victoria Hall are in court for today's sentencing.

They are sitting quietly as they listen to the prosecution outline the facts of both Emily Doherty's case and Victoria's.

Brian Farmer
Reporting from the Old Bailey

The court is hearing more details of Emily Doherty's account from the night Steve Wright attempted to abduct her.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward says after she had seen a parked car with the driver's door open as she was walking home, "there was a man standing next to the car".

"He was looking at her and she was immediately frightened and ran off," Ms Ledward says.

"The man got back in his car and she realised he was following her."

Ledward adds: "She was so afraid, she armed herself with a stick."

Doherty was able to later seek refuge in a nearby house and the police were called.

Brian Farmer
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward tells the court Emily Doherty's formal statement of what happened to her on the night of 18 September 1999 was not taken until 2021.

She reported a man had attempted to abduct her.

Steve Wright, sitting in the dock, admitted to that on Monday.

At this stage we don't know when Doherty first reported the incident to police.

We are now hearing some more detail about what happened to Emily Doherty.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward says Doherty had travelled to the Bandbox nightclub in Felixstowe.

In the early hours of that morning, her and her friend left and started walking through town, but at some point her friend left to go back.

Not having money for a taxi or access to a telephone, Ledward says she decided the "most sensible" thing to do was to walk through town.

While walking along High Road East she then saw a parked car with the driver's door open and engine still running.

Alice Cunningham
Reporting from the Old Bailey

Steve Wright is sitting in the dock and listening as the facts of the case are outlined to the court.

He looks expressionless as he looks straight ahead.

His two security guards sit nearby.