Suffolk murders: Victim's boyfriend felt 'much guilt'

Jon Simpson, pictured at the time of the investigation into the murders of five women in 2006

The boyfriend of one of the women murdered by serial killer Steve Wright felt "much guilt" over her death, an inquest into his death heard.

Jon Simpson, 38, died in Ipswich on 16 September from a drugs overdose.

The hearing in Ipswich heard he had stayed overnight at a friend's house and was found unresponsive in the morning.

Mr Simpson was the boyfriend of Gemma Adams when she was killed by Wright in 2006.

Suffolk area coroner Jacqueline Devonish recorded a conclusion of a drug-related death.

At the time of Miss Adams's disappearance in November 2006, Mr Simpson took part in police appeals to try to find her.

He contacted police after she failed to return home from a night working in the red light district around Ipswich Town's stadium.

She was found dead two weeks later.

Wright is serving a whole life sentence for killing Miss Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Annette Nicholls and Paula Clennell in 2006.

Gemma Adams (top left) was murdered along with (left to right, top to bottom) Anneli Alderton, Tania Nicol, Annette Nicholls and Paula Clennell

In a statement read out at Suffolk's coroner's court, Mr Simpson's widow Zoe Simpson said he felt "much guilt" over Miss Adams's death because "they were together" at the time.

She said continued media coverage of the murders "sent Jon crazy".

The inquest into his death heard Mr Simpson, who was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, had taken drugs since he was 16 or 17 and was in prison between April 2011 and July 2018.

It heard he had taken a "fistful" of drugs the night before his death.

Traces of Class A drugs plus prescribed medication were found in his system.

Mrs Simpson described her husband as "funny, friendly and cheeky".

In her statement, she said: "He was a good man who got lost to drugs."