Probe into handling of Victoria Hall case ongoing
Suffolk ConstabularyA police force has not completed an investigation into its handling of the initial Victoria Hall murder, five months after a watchdog advised it to review it.
In February, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) received a referral from Suffolk Police of complaints related to its investigation into the murder of the 17-year-old in 1999.
It said it had advised the force that its professional standards department should investigate any failings after Adrian Bradshaw was acquitted of her murder in 2001.
In an update to the BBC, Suffolk Police said the investigation "remains ongoing" after serial killer Steve Wright was sentenced to 40 years in February for the kidnap and murder at the Old Bailey in London.
An IOPC spokesperson previously said the complaint had referred to the force's initial investigation, disclosure of evidence during criminal proceedings and comments made by the force following Bradshaw's acquittal.
It said it had decided an investigation into the complaint was "required" and the force should carry it out.
"We also noted that the force appeared to be treating the matter seriously, having apologised to the man and advising him of his right to make a complaint," the IOPC said.
They added: "The complainant will have a right of review to the IOPC should they be dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaint investigation."
PA MediaHall disappeared near her home in Trimley St Mary following a night out in Felixstowe with a friend.
Her body was found five days later in a ditch at Creeting St Peter, about 25 miles (40km) away.
The investigation into her murder was reopened in 2019 before Wright was then charged in 2024.
He had been serving a whole life term in prison for the murders of five women in Ipswich in 2006.
In February, he was handed a 40-year prison sentence after admitting Hall's murder and kidnap, as well as the attempted kidnap of 22-year-old Emily Doherty the night before.
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