THE Huddersfield victim of the so-called Ipswich Ripper was expecting a child, it was confirmed today.

Prostitute Anneli Alderton, 24, who lived in Huddersfield until moving south, was around three months into her pregnancy when she died, police said today.

She was the third of the Ripper's five victims.

Anneli's body was found in woods at Nacton last Sunday.

Police said last night they had a number of suspects in their sights, with sources suggesting that the number was less than 50.

Detectives say they were focusing on a number of "interesting people" and following a number of "interesting lines of inquiry".

Police found out about Miss Alderton's condition following a post-mortem examination.

But Jacqui Cheer, Suffolk's Assistant Chief Constable, said detectives did not regard Miss Alderton's pregnancy as being of "relevance" to the inquiry.

The examination also revealed that she died from asphyxiation.

Miss Alderton's family were said to be stunned by the news of the pregnancy.

Her mother, Marie, 49, was said to have howled with pain when police told her about the pregnancy.

Her grandmother, Joan Molloy, 84, who lives in Meltham, was reported to have collapsed.

Police investigating the murders are trawling thousands of hours of CCTV footage in the hope of finding a clue to the killer's identity.

Det Chief Supt Stewart Gull said officers had seized footage from cameras in and around Ipswich in the hope of discovering more detail about the final hours of the murdered women.

He said he was confident of finding footage of Miss Alderton and was searching for snatches of the other women. Mr Gull said: "We are looking at many hours of CCTV footage. We hope to get footage of Anneli, we know she caught a train in Essex last week."

Police will appeal for help today before the start of Ipswich Town's home game against Leeds United.

Players and spectators will observe a minute's silence for the murdered prostitutes and Ipswich officials said police had offered women safety advice in the match programme.

Prayers were said last night for the women and their families at a church service at Copdock, a village close to where two of the women's bodies were found.

Suffolk's chief constable Alastair McWhirter says his force faces "incredible challenges" but is determined to carry out investigations "thoroughly and quickly".

He says morale among his officers remains high even though they are under "a great deal of pressure".