A MAN accused of murdering five women “simply could not restrain himself”, a jury was told.

Prosecutor Peter Wright QC told Ipswich Crown Court that 49-year-old Steve Wright “needed more” than sex.

Wright, of Ipswich, Suffolk, denies murdering Gemma Adams, 25, Tania Nicol, 19, Anneli Alderton, 24, Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29.

Jurors have heard that the naked bodies of the women, who all worked as prostitutes in Ipswich, were found at isolated locations between December 2 and December 12.

Mr Wright completed his concluding speech yesterday following a month-long trial.

“The reality is Steve Wright simply could not restrain himself,” said Mr Wright.

“He embarked on a course of conduct that deprived these women of their lives.”

Mr Wright added: “Sex with them was not sufficient. He needed more and he achieved it at their expense.”

One of the victims, Miss Alderton, is a former Huddersfield woman.

She lived in Primrose Hill and later in Huddersfield and had a young son.

She left Huddersfield to follow her mother Maire, who had been living in Almondbury, to the south.

Detectives may never know whether more than one person was involved, the jury was told.

Mr Wright QC said police could not exclude the possibility that others may have played a part.

And he said supermarket worker Tom Stephens could not be eliminated.