Call for sex 'safe houses' after prostitute killing

The MP for Christchurch Central is backing moves to establish a 'safe house' for the city's prostitutes.

The Prostitutes Collective will meet with Christchurch's mayor to discuss the concept following last week's brutal murder of a street sex worker.

Tim Barnett has endorsed the move, saying such an approach is used successfully in Sydney.

He said a 'safe house' provides a more secure environment for the prostitutes, provides better opportunities for safe sex practice, and also gets them off the city streets.

A 28-year-old appeared in court at the weekend charged with the murder of the 24-year-old woman.

Details of their names have been suppressed by the court judges. He was remanded in custody and will reappear again on December 29.

The family do not want the 24-year-old woman's name released, so they can grieve for her in private.

"It is tragic, tragic, tragic," the family's spokesman said.

She came under the influence of drugs and was led by other people into prostitution to support herself, he said.

"And now she has met this sad, awful, violent death."

Her three-year-old daughter is being cared for by the woman's parents.

"She loved that child," the spokesman said. "She made attempts to get off drugs. How hard she tried -- how strong were the pressures that coerced her back each time."

She had just had six weeks off drugs, heading towards rehabilitation, and had been staying with her grandparents.

"But there were outside influences," the spokesman said.

The site where she was killed was closed for forensic examination today and was likely to be closed until Tuesday.

Police still wanted people who had seen a white Honda Integra between Dallington and Woodend about 1am on Thursday, to come forward.

Police had also established that reports of the woman being seen getting into a car were untrue.

- nzpa, NEWSTALK ZB