Catch him

The News of the World today put up a record reward of £250,000 for information leading to the capture and conviction of the Suffolk strangler.

The reward is for information directly resulting in the arrest and conviction of the person, or persons, responsible for the murders of the Ipswich prostitutes.

Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull, who is heading the investigation, said today: "This extra help could make a crucial difference."

A News of the World spokeswoman said: "We hope this historic reward will help in solving the series of brutal murders which has shocked the nation.

"If you have any information about these crimes, we urge you to contact the authorities, or the News of the World if you prefer."

More than 2,000 people have so far contacted the police incident room offering information to help catch the killer.

Chief Supt Gull added: "We are getting good support from the public, media and colleagues in other forces.

"An example of this is a £250,000 reward, apparently the largest ever, which has been put up by the News of the World."

He added: "It is vitally important that people continue to ring in if they have information."

The serial killer's horrific tally rose by two yesterday when naked bodies believed to be missing hookers Annette Nicholls, 29, and Paula Clennell, 24, were found yards from a main road through the village of Levington, a few miles from Ipswich.

In a chilling twist, Paula gave a television interview last week in which she admitted she was scared of going back out on the streets but “needed the money”. The two women were due to be formally identified later today.

Their discovery came 48 hours after Anneli Alderton, 24, was found strangled in woods at Nacton, less than a mile away.

The killer's first two victims - Tania Nicol, 19, and Gemma Adams, 25 - were both dumped in a brook in Hintlesham, just west of Ipswich, last week. Gemma's body was found at the farmland spot on December 2. Tania's body was discovered two miles downstream six days later.

All five were prostitutes and heroin addicts. Three were mothers.

Suffolk Police have warned that the murderer may be playing a macabre game of cat and mouse with cops. His two most recent victims were snatched and murdered as hundreds of officers mounting the county's biggest ever murder hunt.

The discovery of the two bodies yesterday came after a man walking on Old Felixstowe Road called police to say he had seen a naked woman’s body close to the main road.

A police helicopter flew to the scene and 40 minutes later a member of the helicopter crew by chance spotted the second body a few hundred yards away.

It was reported today that the killer - whose tally is already equal to that of the original Jack the Ripper who struck five times in East London in 1888 - may pick up the vice girls two-at-a-time at the kerbside, drive them away to murder them before storing their bodies and dumping them late at night.

The News of the World put up its £250,000 reward as hundreds of police continued to comb Ipswich's red-light district and the sites where the bodies were found for DNA and forensic evidence.

There are fears that with the town's streets swamped with police, the killer may look further afield for victims.

Det Supt Gull said today: "In each of the three murder inquiries we have a significant gap between when the women were last seen and the discovery of their bodies.

"We need to find out where these women were between these times."

The reward is subject to standard News of the World conditions. Payment will be made at the discretion of the Editor, following consultation with the Chief Constable of Suffolk Police.

The Editor’s decision is final. In the event of more than one person qualifying, the reward may be split.