THE DEATH of Emma Caldwell was "instrumental" in getting vice girls off the streets, according to a charity founder.

 

Anne McIlveen has helped working girls in the city for 15 years through her charity Salt and Light, and was in weekly contact with Emma for years before her death.

She said the horrific murder has spurred hoards of working women to turn away from prostitution in the last 10 years.

Speaking to the Evening Times, Anne said: "Emma's death was instrumental in getting a lot of lassies off the street - exiting prostitution completely.

"It wasn't immediate, it was over a few months but it happened.

"We'd suddenly think 'Where's so-and so?' and people would say 'Oh she's not doing it anymore'.

"When we first started our work in the red light area we had 70-100 lassies every Thursday night.

"You're talking about real hardened prostitutes and a lot of them knew Emma.

"Many left after her death - they were just so scared that it could be them.

"We see a trickle now of what we used to then."

The 56-year-old said many women who do choose to turn to prostitution now are doing so as they can't afford to feed their children rather than fuelling drug habits.

The charity boss said "In the past few years a lot of the girls who come out, it's not for heroine any more.

"It's to feed their kids.

"They don't have the money, it's a damn disgrace."

The 56-year-old said there is rarely a day where she doesn't think about the tragic vice girl, and now takes her story to schools in the hope of warning other young women away from the dangers of drugs.

As reported in the Evening Times, police officers have vowed to find justice for Emma, whose body was found in a wooded area near Biggar on May 8 2005.

Detective superintendent Bobby Hendred, of the homicide governance review team, confirmed the murder was still an open investigation and said the team were committed to bringing her killer, or killers, to justice.

The 27-year-old was found dead six years after her older sister Karen tragically died of cancer.

Within a year of her sister's death, the bubbly, happy girl, had become hooked on heroine and was working as a prostitute to feed her habit.

Originally from Erskine, she had been staying at a women's refuge in Govanhill before she disappeared.

Despite four arrests in connection with the case, to date nobody has been convicted of her murder.

hannah.rodger@eveningtimes.co.uk