THE tragic past of murdered prostitute Anneli Alderton was revealed by her Huddersfield grandmother.
Mrs Joan Molloy told how the mum-of-one had been lured off the rails into a life of drugs and sex.
And she told how Anneli's life spiralled out of control after the death of her father.
Mrs Molloy, 81, of Meltham, said that the then 17-year-old Anneli ran away on the day of her dad Roy's funeral. He died of lung cancer.
Mrs Molloy said Anneli, who was 24 when she became the Suffolk Ripper's third victim, was taken in by a sexual predator, who abused her after introducing her to drugs.
Anneli spent years in and out of prison, with her young son Freddy eventually being adopted by her English teacher mum Maire, 49, who was worried for the boy's safety.
Mrs Molloy told how Anneli came from a well-respected family who had strived for years to save her from her downward path.
She said: "I was gobsmacked to hear my granddaughter was dead, but the Anni I knew as a little girl had died years before.
"I remember her as a normal, artistic, bright little girl - happy and alive.
"Anni has been a girl more sinned against than sinning, but became addicted to heroin."
Mother-of-four Mrs Molloy recalled how she had seen Anni only last Christmas but was left saddened by the change she saw in her granddaughter.
She said: "Anni had spent as long as two years in prison and was released shortly before Christmas.
"She upset everybody at Christmas, because she was a totally changed character with a terrible vocabulary.
"There was swearing and arguing, Anni was not the little girl I knew."
Anneli, who has an older brother Tom, was brought up in Cyprus where her grandparents lived during her early teens.
Mrs Molloy said: "She was a perfectly nice little girl and had a happy upbringing.
"Anni spoke Greek and got good grades in English and art but she was marked down in the science subjects because of mistakes with the Greek language and it was decided the family should return to England.
"She got pregnant when she was just 17 and her mother made a strong effort to get Anni clean and shopped her to the police.
"Eight officers came round to the house and she was locked up, but it did no good."
A close friend of Anneli's mother added: "Anneli was a bright and extremely pretty young woman.
"I would never have believed she was a prostitute or into drugs."
Anneli's body was found on December 10, near Ipswich after she was murdered by asphyxiation and "probably strangled".
Neighbours of the murdered prostitute spoke of their shock after news of her death spread around the port town of Harwich.
The 24-year-old was revealed to be the third murdered woman after her body was discovered in woodland in Nacton on Sunday.
Miss Alderton had a son Freddy, aged five, who lived with her mother Maire in Albert Street, Bathside.
Neighbour Eileen Woodford, 63, said: "I just can't believe what has happened.
"Anneli was a lovely-looking girl.
"She was extremely pretty and was always very neat and well-turned out. She was always very polite and would say hello."
Mrs Woodford said Anneli had not lived at the home her mother shares with partner Tim Smith for a few months.
Miss Alderton's mother runs Bathside Stores on neighbouring Ingestre Street. She and Mr Smith were not at their three-storey terraced home yesterday.
Mrs Woodford added: "They are a lovely couple. Little Freddy is always there and he is such a lovely little boy.
"I can't believe he has lost his mum so close to Christmas. It is absolutely horrible."
Mrs Woodford said she had no idea Anneli was working as a prostitute.
A man living opposite the home of Maire Alderton said that the events of the last few days were hard to believe.
The man, who did not wish to be named, said: "It's a shame really, but if they had a safe place to work then maybe it wouldn't have happened.
"I still can't believe that if the police have been there for the last week, how something like this can happen?"
