KEY POINTS:
Sadly, it seems someone in Suffolk is slaughtering prostitutes. While there will be many women murdered this week, their deaths will not be as newsworthy as those of the working girls being dispatched by a person unknown, in that lovely corner of England.
The serial killing of prostitutes
certainly makes for great pre-Christmas news fare.
That one of the murdered women was filmed days before she was slain, talking to a television news crew about how she would keep working the streets as she needed the money, made for mesmerising viewing.
One does have to wonder if anyone is investigating the journalists who filed that story. After all, the news doesn't get much better than having recent film of a dead woman talking. It's clear that in moments of desperation TV execs are prepared to literally murder for ratings. Why else would Bill Ralston have dispatched Simon Dallow to coup-torn Fiji?
Naturally, the women are being defined by their occupation. The Sun newspaper described one of the women, Anneli Alderton, as "a tragic crackhead". Meanwhile, we are told, victim Gemma Adams owned a puppy called Holly.
I did feel personally traumatised when I realised I shared something in common with one of the women. Tania Nicol apparently had a dream to be a Spice Girl. I too had the same dream.
A policeman commented that the perpetrator "treated the women like bags of rubbish, and just dumps them in isolated spots".
If nothing else at least the sorrowful saga highlights the ongoing crime of littering.
No doubt in this era of economic rationalisation someone will have conducted an economic impact report to ascertain what it's doing to the price of prostitutes' services, and deduced the size of the economic windfall befalling the surrounding towns as the hotels, motels, and B and B's fill up with media, police, and the curious voyeurs.
Yet another positive outcome being touted is that the deaths may save lives, as other local drug-addled prostitutes are reportedly chucking it all in and trying to straighten out.
I guess it isn't the most desirable way to cut back on crime, but it may just work.
Given the parlous state of inter-faith relations, though, I only hope that the murderer isn't a Muslim. The one thing worse than the murderer being a Muslim would be for it to be two Muslims.
Experts say the killer could be a loner with a history of being dominated by women. Thankfully Don Brash has an alibi. He was delivering his valedictory speech in Wellington at the time of the crimes.
I have no doubt that Nicky Hager will soon appear with proof from several sources that Brash is somehow implicated. Worse still, many will believe him.
