Amnesty for drug dealers who may hold vital clues

Drug dealers who supplied heroin or crack cocaine to any of the five murdered Suffolk prostitutes have been promised immunity from prosecution in return for information that might help identify the women's killer. All five of the victims were known to be dependent on a range of class A substances, which detectives believe were supplied by a number of diff-erent dealers.

Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull said yesterday that the police were most concerned about finding the killer and that they were not interested in following up any unrelated offences.

"Nobody has anything to fear about coming forward and providing us with information," he said.

But police later made it clear that the amnesty only applied to those who had information for the murder inquiry and was not a general amnesty for all drug dealers operating in Suffolk.

Detectives working on the case have already promised protection for prostitutes in Ipswich. Police officers have also handed out 10,000 personal safety leaflets to people living in Ipswich, telling them how to enjoy a night out in the town while remaining safe.