AN EAST Lancashire man is at the heart of the investigation into the murder of five Ipswich prostitutes.

Forensic psychologist Adrian West, who lives in Brindle, has been working with investigato-rs since the first three bodies were found.

Mr West's involvement is understood to be crucial to the police.

He is regarded as the most eminent criminal psychologist in Britain - a real-life "Cracker" who aims to worm his way into the mind of killers, just like actor Robbie Coltrane's character in the TV series.

Jacqui Cheer, Assistant Chief Constable of Suffolk, who acts as Gold Commander in charge of the inquiry, said: "You've got to get the best. And he is."

Despite the high-profile nature of the police probe, Mr West is virtually unknown. Such are the efforts to conceal his identity, few have ever heard of him and even fewer would recognise him.

Mr West won accolades when he gave London Metropolitan police a psychological profile of TV presenter Jill Dando's killer.

He suggested that the killer may not have been a professional - despite the crime giving the impression that a cool, ruthless murderer had been at work.

Mr West was studying inmates' behaviour at Ashworth top security hospital in Merseyside, when he received the call from Suffolk police on Sunday, December 10.

In his line of work the brief for Adrian West is simple.

He has to discover what drives a man to embark on such a frenzied spree of murder.

And also where would such a character be likely to hide.

Police said his initial profile helped to identify a provisional pool of 60 people they want to question.

That was refined to a core of more likely suspects that could number as low as five, before arrests were made this week.

Police launched a murder inquiry after the bodies of Gemma Adams, 25, Tania Nicol, 19, Anneli Alderton, 24, Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29, were found near villages south of Ipswich earlier this month.

The women were murdered at a rate unprecedented in British criminal history.

lSteve Wright, 48, of Ipswich has been charged with murdering the five women.