Prostitutes who use the Port Henderson main road, commonly referred to as 'Back Road' in Portmore, St Catherine, for business in the wee hours of the night, have armed themselves against would-be attackers in light of the death of a colleague in a motel.

The body of Chantal Butler, 22, from Lime Tree Grove, St Catherine, was found in a motel room on Port Henderson Road, recently. The woman is said to be a student at a top university.

The Bridgeport police said Butler checked into the motel the previous day. About 10:30 a.m. the next day, her body was found by an employee. The police said there were no visible marks of violence. The scene was processed and the body removed to the morgue.

knives

Since then prostitutes in the area have armed themselves with knives, scissors and mace among other implements.

One told THE WEEKEND STAR she walks with a number of implements for protection and have had to use them on occasions. "Everybody try to secure themselves. Girls go out but they try to protect themselves," she said.

Around the back of one establishment where the women conduct business, there is a feeling of eeriness to those unfamiliar with the happenings taking place there at nights.

devious man

Asked if these motels are safe, one of the women stated, "The one that she was found is not safe at all. If it was, she wouldn't have been killed, none at all. That man [proprietor of establishment] is a devious man. We don't deal with him at all."

This is the second woman to be found dead in a motel along Port Henderson Road.

Head of the St Catherine South police, Senior Superintendent Noel Christie, has poured cold water on claims that there is a serial killer on the loose.

"There is no information to suggest anything like that," he said.

He said the police have received no reports of complaints from these women because they fear prosecution as prostitution is illegal.