Murdered woman 'in suspect's car'

Steve Wright denies murdering the five women

CCTV footage has been shown to jurors of one of five murdered prostitutes getting into a car thought to belong to murder suspect Steve Wright.

The images, which police believe show Tania Nicol being picked up in the red light district of Ipswich, were shown as the case entered its third week.

The bodies of the five women were found at remote locations outside Ipswich, Suffolk, over 10 days in December 2006.

Mr Wright, 49, denies murder and is on trial at Ipswich Crown Court.

The footage shows a woman getting into a dark-coloured Ford Mondeo late on 30 October 2006, which was the night Miss Nicol vanished.

Pc Craig Adamberry, who examined CCTV as part of the police investigation, said he believed the woman was Miss Nicol.

Banging noises

He said the car matched one owned by Mr Wright at the time.

In the footage, the car is seen being driven along, stopping, then reversing to allow the woman to walk around and climb in.

A vehicle identification specialist, Andrew Wooler, told the court he had studied CCTV images of a car driving around the red light district of Ipswich on three separate dates.

They coincided with the disappearances of three of the women.

CCTV footage of Anneli Alderton at Manningtree station

Mr Wooler said he had filmed reconstructions and identified the car as a Mark Three Ford Mondeo - the same model as that driven by Mr Wright.

In one of the reconstructions, in which the defendant's own car was used, he said the match was exact.

He said it was "highly likely" that the car in the film was his Mondeo.

Both vehicles had something hanging from the rear view mirror, and a sticker - probably a tax disc - in an unusual spot on the windscreen.

CCTV footage believed to be of another victim, Anneli Alderton, which was captured on a train the night she disappeared on 3 December 2006 has also been shown to the jury.

The film was of a woman matching Miss Alderton's description on a service from Harwich, Essex, to Manningtree, Essex.

The court also heard from a neighbour of Mr Wright who said he heard noises coming from the suspect's home.

The women were all found in isolated areas around Ipswich

David Welton, who lived in the adjoining flat, said the "banging about" would sometimes start at about midnight, and mostly on weekdays.

Mr Welton said he also heard the sounds of a washing machine coming from the suspect's home.

He said he heard them "a couple of times a week".

Mr Welton also said he regularly saw Mr Wright washing his car on Saturdays.

The bodies of Miss Nicol, Miss Alderton, Gemma Adams, Annette Nicholls and Paula Clennell were found in a 10-day period at the end of 2006.

The hearing was adjourned until Tuesday.