London in the wartime blackout was a haven for prostitutes. They could be picked up easily in the dark – unfortunately, they could just as easily be killed in the dark. The man who murdered Agnes Stafford, 31, who was well known on the streets, used her own summer dress to strangle her, and left her naked on her bed, except for her bra, in Bedford Place, Holborn.

The post-mortem put the time of death at 8.30 pm on Tuesday, May 19th, 1942, which was about the time a neighbour heard her talking to a man. There was no evidence that she had had sex or been raped.