The dangerous, disturbed mind behind the Ipswich prostitute murders may not have worked alone, a forensic psychologist said last night.

The dangerous, disturbed mind behind the Ipswich prostitute murders may not have worked alone, a forensic psychologist said last night.

The discovery yesterday of two further bodies, taking the death toll to five, further fuelled talk of the murders being linked to one serial killer or a murderer on an addictive killing “spree” or “mission” who may have needed help to dump the bodies.

Consultant forensic clinical psychologist Gerrard Bales said: “Now a fifth body has been found in such a small area we have got to be saying this was the work of some sort of serial killer or someone on some sort of spree.

“You can't really argue against that now.

“There has to be a link - two of them, we know, were naked, and that can be a gesture to debase the victim and of retaliation, revenge and excitement.

“If it is a serial offender, he may stop for a while as how could anyone not be aware of what's happening with the police investigation and all the publicity - or he may be on a roll and carry on.

“If this has happened over a short space of time the person may have had help. This is rare, but looking at the number of bodies it is a possibility.

“The more bodies we get, the more serious questions need to be asked.”

Mr Bales, who is based at the Norvic Clinic in Norwich, said psychological profiling in crime novels and TV drama probably gave the skill an image of greater authority and accuracy than it actually had.

“You cannot come up with a certain profile, but we can talk about traits - it's likely to be a white male aged 25 to 35, maybe 40,” he added.

“It could well be a mission to avenge and retaliate against a certain group of people that the person wants to debase and to dehumanise, and some killers have a mission to destroy prostitutes.

“People can also be motivated by the pleasure they get out of killing and the thrill they get from control and power. Just because the bodies have no signs of sexual abuse does not mean there is no sexual thrill out of it.

“Many of them get to the point where they can't stop, they have crossed a line and it is very difficult to go back from that.

“They may be satisfied for a while, but then that need comes back, and this is a person with very distorted opinions, desires and motivations and can be very extreme in their personality and behaviour.

“We have to keep all lines of investigation open and be wary of giving too much away - this individual could be watching the TV or reading the newspapers.”

THEORIES ON WHO MAY BE THE MURDERER

The image of a crazed, lone serial killer preying on prostitutes in Suffolk is just one theory that has emerged amid the spate of killings.

Suffolk police continue to refer to a killer or “killers”, not ruling out separate offenders or possibly accomplices.

A catalogue of theories have been suggested in the past few days alone, some allegedly based on the victims' lifestyles and relationships while others have attempted to categorise the killer and his motives, nationality and career.

It has been mooted that police are keen to trace a man known to local prostitutes as Uncle, a church-going “weirdo” who did not want sex but drove girls around the streets of Ipswich to buy drugs.

There have also been suggestions that another man, known to Gemma Adams and Tania Nicol, had been cheated out of thousands of pounds by Miss Adams.

Vice girls have told police he was one of her regular clients and was persuaded to take out a £6,000 loan and hand it to Miss Adams, and paid to have sex with Miss Nicol.

Some media have been quick to draw comparisons with Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe.

Coverage has often included very specific ideas, including the belief that the killer is a German lorry driver, fiercely anti-women and devoutly religious.