Grim murder in Wolverhampton that is still unsolved 34 years on

Pushed into the trade by either drug addiction or deprivation, they are manipulated by parasite pimps and run the risk of violence at the hands of twisted punters.

There is no glamour in a red light district, only grime and the endless grind of standing, like shop dummies, until selected.

Many have been maimed and murdered in the pursuit of grubby money. And for detectives, finding those responsible is a tough task. Clients are reticent to come forward, the lists of anonymous suspects are long.

Police crackdowns on known red light zones only increases the risks to the women working them.

Back in 2010, a spokesperson for the English Collective of Prostitutes told the Independent: "We have seen the same again and again in most towns and cities around the country. Crackdowns force women into greater danger. When women, and their customers, are anxious about getting spotted by police, less time is spent assessing the safety of the situation."

The situation is the same today. There is no easy solution, no fail-safe mechanism for prostitutes.

Gail Whitehouse lost her life to the vice trade. The 23-year-old was strangled and her body dumped in bushes off Steelhouse Lane, Wolverhampton – an area she regularly worked, an area that was then a magnet for prostitutes.

She was found by two teenagers on September 6, 1990, three days after the mum-of-two was last seen alive only 100 yards from where the body lay.

It has been 35 years since Gail was murdered and still her killer remains unmasked. Her regular customers did not co-operate with detectives, a wall of silence surrounding the red light district grew taller with each month, the case grew cold.

That, despite a major operation to nail the murderer. In all, officers flagged down 500 cars in the areas frequented by Gail, 40 undercover cops combed for clues, doors were knocked during a wide house-to-house sweep.

Gail, bubbly and popular with vice workers she shared the streets with and liked by locals, deserves justice. They banded together and plastered Steelhouse Lane with “missing person” posters two days after her disappearance.

She may have been lost on Wolverhampton’s underbelly, but she was not alone.

On a November, 1990, Crimewatch reconstruction, vice squad Pc Fran Oakley said: “I knew Gail Whitehouse for about five years. Gail was very, very friendly, probably one of the nicer girls who we had no problems with at all.”

Look closely at her picture: the tousled auburn hair tumbling over a pretty, fresh face. They are the features of an office employee or hairdresser, even teacher.

Look closer still, at the worn, lined eyes and you can trace the hardship of her chosen profession.