THE man who led the murder hunt which brought killer Geoffrey Porter to justice fears for the safety of Bolton's vice girls.

Detectives investigated the murky world of vice and drugs to track down the murderer.

Det Chief Insp Tony Cook said: "Prostitutes are mixing with dangerous people all the time. Although in a sense they are hardened to it and can spot the obvious danger signs, they still leave themselves open to attack all the time."

And chillingly he added: "I am amazed there have not been any more murders."

The police chief said Carly lived her life "on the edge" and would get into a car with anyone.

He said: "She was out working almost every night -- she preferred to live on the streets.

"Her family tried everything but she preferred to live her way.

"She was very young, looked even younger and attracted the worst sort of people. She didn't have any belongings, except the clothes on her back."

The police chief said Carly's lifestyle was crucial to the inquiry.

She was embroiled in the world of drugs and vice. The police team had the arduous and time-consuming job of putting together a picture of her life in an effort to track down the killer.

The police knew the injuries inflicted on the teenager did not have all the hallmarks of a frenzied attack on a prostitute, so they needed to know what drugs she took, where she bought them, who her punters were, and where she would pick them up.

One of the most important tasks was to find her missing clothes.

On the night she was murdered, Carly was wearing light three quarter length pants, a grey and blue top with "Ellesse" written across the front, and white Reebok trainers with pink inserts.

DCI Tony Cook said: "Carly's background was an important line of inquiry because we had to build up that picture so we could then trace her movements on the night she died.

"Due to the fact she was found naked, we had to confirm what clothes she was wearing that night.

"We had conflicting information from people who had seen her. The problem was that our witnesses were either prostitutes or drug users. They were very co-operative and helpful but their recollection was poor."

Detectives discovered CCTV footage of Carly leaving the secure hostel for homeless women where she lived at 11.32pm on the night she was killed.

It gave them a time when she was last seen alive and a picture of what she was wearing on the night she died. A police officer on patrol in the town centre shortly before midnight was the last person to see her alive. She was spotted walking along Bradshawgate towards the junction with Breightmet Street, which leads to River Street, a popular haunt for prostitutes.

It is believed that she met Porter shortly afterwards and they went off to the Crawford Avenue area. What happened then has never been made clear but it is likely some kind of argument took place and Porter strangled the teenager before dumping her body.