JURORS trying a man accused of murdering five prostitutes were told to cast aside any sympathies for the dead women.
Judge Mr Justice Gross began summing up at Ipswich Crown Court, Suffolk, in the trial of Steve Wright.
Wright, 49, of Ipswich, denies murdering former Huddersfield woman Anneli Alderton, 24, Gemma Adams, 25, Tania Nicol, 19, Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29.
Their bodies were found at remote locations around Ipswich over a 10-day period in December 2006.
Miss Alderton, lived and worked in Huddersfield for several years before moving south.
Her mother lived in Almondbury and Miss Alderton had a home in Primrose Hill.
Addressing the jury of nine men and three women Mr Justice Gross said: “The loss of these five young lives is clearly a tragedy. You are likely to have sympathy for the deceased and their families.
“Your sympathy... must not sway you. Such sympathies cannot assist you in deciding your task.”
He added: “You may view with some distaste the lifestyles of those involved. If you do that is irrelevant. Whatever the drugs they took, whatever the work they did, no-one is entitled to do these women any harm, let alone kill them.”
He told jurors to avoid any media coverage of the case and any reference to it on the internet.
Mr Justice Gross reminded jurors that Tom Stephens – the first man arrested in connection with the five murders – was not on trial.
But he said neither the defence nor prosecution could rule him out of the inquiry. The judge read through a summary of the evidence heard in the trial.
The case continues.
