Victoria Hall: Police reopen investigation into murder of 17-year-old girl found naked in ditch

‘The killer has lived with their guilt for the past 20 years and fresh information could make a significant difference to helping us solve this murder’

An investigation into the murder of a 17-year-old girl found naked in a ditch 20 years ago after receiving new information, has been reopened by police.

Victoria Hall’s body was found in a water-filled ditch in September 1999 – five days after she went missing on her way home from a nightclub in Felixstowe, Suffolk.

Fresh information had prompted detectives to reopen the case, Suffolk Police said.

The force would not expand on what that information was, but a spokesman said it was completely new.

“We’ve had separate, unrelated pieces of information from more than one person," he said.

Police have also shared previously unreleased details of clothing that Victoria was wearing and CCTV footage taken at the entrance to the field where her body was found.

Victoria, from Trimley St Mary, left home on the evening of 18 September, 1999 for a night out with a friend at the Bandbox nightclub in Felixstowe.

The girls left the club at about 1am the following morning and parted just over an hour later, yards from Victoria's home.

It was the last time she was seen alive.

Her parents awoke in the morning to discover their daughter had not returned home and a missing person inquiry was launched.

Her body was found five days later in Creeting St Peter, around 25 miles from where she was last seen.

None of her clothing or possessions have been found.

Police have reissued images of the dress, jacket and shoes Victoria was wearing when last seen.

They also shared a previously unreleased image of a wooden hair slide, along with details of other belongings Victoria had with her on the night she went missing.

She had a black oval-shaped New Look purse with a zip fastener, containing a house key on a distinctive fob with “Vicky” written across the top and “Victoria” down the sides.

Screengrab taken from previously unreleased CCTV dated 7 October, 1999 of a driver stopping a van and looking around the entrance to the field in Creeting St Peter, Suffolk, where the body of 17-year-old Victoria Hall was found. (Suffolk Constabulary)

She also had a Rimmel lipstick in a black plastic case, the colour of which was “Zorro”.

The inner soles of one or both of Victoria’s shoes had been fixed with sticky tape.

The CCTV footage of the field from October 1999 shows a van stopping, reversing, driving forward to the entrance again and then stopping, before the driver gets out and appears to look around at the ground.

The second clip shows a group of people with torches going into the field area under the cover of darkness.

Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Millar said: “This was an horrific crime committed against a girl who was two weeks away from celebrating her 18th birthday. Victoria’s adult life was just about to begin when she was torn away from her loving family, who have now been without her for a longer time than they had her – no-one should have to experience the pain that they have.

“We now have another opportunity to obtain justice for Victoria and her family. The killer has lived with their guilt for the past 20 years and fresh information could make a significant difference to helping us solve this murder.”

Police are “extremely keen” to speak to anyone who may have seen Victoria’s belongings, and to trace the people in the CCTV footage.

A businessman was cleared of Victoria’s murder following a trial in 2001.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Major Investigation Team on 0800 096 1233 between 8am and 10pm on Thursday and Friday, or on 01473 613 513 outside of these hours.

People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.