On the 29th of December, 1996, Gardai were called to a flat on Liffey St in Dublin city centre. Inside was the body of 26 year old British-Sri Lankan woman, Belinda Pereira, who was staying in Dublin for just a week. The nature of her trip prompted many inches of tabloid fodder. She had come to Dublin in order to carry out sex work.
But the voyeuristic media attention on Belinda’s case did not last long.
Sadly, today, her name is all but forgotten.
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Theme Music:
Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additional Music: Allemande (Sting) by Wahneta Meixsell. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sources:
John Maher, “Parents due to arrive to identify murder victim” in The Irish Times (1 January 1997) p. 4.
Stephen Rae, “New ‘Flying Squad’ ready to smash the crime lords” in The Evening Herald (4 January 1997) p. 2.
“New breakthrough in search for killer” in The Evening Herald (4 January 1997) p. 36.
Mike McNiffe and Joanne McElgunn, “Greedy pimps who cashed in on Belinda’s life” in The Sunday World (5 January 1997) p.p. 2-3.
Ben Proctor, “£3000 for sex trip to Ireland” in The Sunday World (5 January 1997) p. 2.
“Bank manager’s love for hooker” in The Sunday World (5 January 1997) p. 4-5.
Joanne McElgunn, “Sex trade is terrified” in The Sunday World (5 January 1997) p.p. 4-5.
Susan McKay, “The high price of selling sex” in The Sunday Tribune (5 January 1997) p. 11.
Tom Cooney, “Prostitutes are flesh and blood just like we are” in The Sunday World (5 January 1997) p. 8
John Lee, “Dublin’s high-tech call girls go mobile” in The Sunday Independent (5 January 1997) p. 12.
“The pimp who ran Belinda brothel” in The Sunday World (5 January 1997) p. 1, 2, 3.
Mike McNiffe and Joanne McElgunn, “Find my girl’s savage killer” in The Sunday World (5 January) p.p. 1 – 5, 8.
Frank Khan, “Murder victim’s lifestyle big shock” in The Sunday Independent (5 January 1997) p. 3.
John Maher, ‘Sri Lankan parents identify body of murdered woman” in The Irish Times (6 January 1997) p. 7.
Annemaria McEneaney, “Gardai sift statements for call girl death clues” in The Irish Independent (6 January 1997) p. 9.
“Belinda: Gardai hunt for clues” in The Evening Herald (6 January 1997) p. 6.
Stephen Rae, “Call girl killer: hunt in Britain” in The Evening Herald (8 January 1997) p. 16
Stephen Rae, “Gardai appeal for information” in The Evening Herald (9 January 1997) p. 1
“Picture of victim released” in The Irish Times (10 January 1997) p. 4.
Tom Reddy, “Gardai release slain call girl photo” in The Irish Independent (10 January 1997) p. 4.
“Call girl killed ‘for her money’” in The Evening Herald (10 January 1997) p. 18
“Cash clue to killing” in The Irish Independent (11 January 1997) p. 9
Joanne McElgunn, “Slain hooker’s diary names celeb clients” in The Sunday World (12 January 1997) p. 4.
Joanne McElgunn, “Inside the sleazy world of Irelands pimps and prostitutes” in The Sunday World (19 January 1997) pp 30-31.
Liz Walsh, “Pereira ‘was not killed by one of her clients” in The Sunday Tribune (19 January 1997) p. 14
Liz Walsh and Susan McKay, “Anonymous ‘Asian beauty’ died as she lived” in The Sunday Tribune (19 January 1997) p. 14.
Liz Walsh, “Pereira ‘was not killed by one of her clients” in The Sunday Tribune (19 January 1997) p. 14.
Jim Cusack, “Murder probe told of severe beating of prostitute” in The Irish Times (20 January 1997) p. 11.
“UK pimps ‘protect’ coloured hookers” in The Sunday World (26 January 1997) p. 2.
Joanne McElgunn, “Pimp suspect in hooker slaying flees to Britain” in The Sunday World (26 January 1997) p. 35.
Joanne McElgunn, “50 clients of dead vice girl talk to cops” in The Sunday World (9 February 1997) p. 32
Stephen Rae, “’Game’ that can end in murder” in The Evening Herald (10 February 1997) p.p. 16-7.
Richard balls, “Inquest on murdered woman adjourned” in The Irish Times (19 April 1997) p. 4.
“Call-girl inquest is put back for probe” in The Irish Independent (19 April 1997) p. 4.
“Coroner adjourns Pereira inquest” in The Irish Times (17 April 1998) p. 4.
Stephen Rae, “Sex ring smashed” in The Evening Herald (19 February 1998) p. 1, 2.
Jerome Reilly, “Belinda Pereira: the secret life that led to her lonely death” in The Irish Independent (18 April 1998) p. 31.
Kitty Holland and Conor Lally, “The sad life and death of Sinead Kelly” in The Sunday Tribune (28 June 1998) p. 10
Paul Williams, Mike McNiffe and Joanne McElgunn, “Red-light nutter could kill again” in The Sunday World (28 June 1998) p. 4.
“Appeal for information on killing” in The Irish Times (30 July 1998) p. 7.
Catherine Cleary, “400 questioned over murder” in The Irish Times (30 July 1998) p. 7.
Billy Foley, “Young prostitute killed by repeated blows to her head” in The Irish Independent (30 July 1998) p. 6.
Catherine Cleary, “Reward for news of murders” in The Irish Times (1 August 1998) p. 5
Eugene Moloney, “Drug dealer is held in probe of canal murder” in The Irish Independent (1 August 1998) p. 7.
“Ciara’s case is on list” in The Drogheda Argus and Leinster Journal (7 August 1998) p. 7.
Stephen Rae, “Prostitute murdered over £850 drug debt say gardai” in The Irish Independent (7 August 1998) p. 3.
“New plea on murdered prostitute” in The Sunday World (25 October 1998) p. 2.
Lara MacMillan. “A magazine that’s more ‘out’ then ‘in’” in The Evening Herald( 12 August 1999) p. 19.
Jerome Reilly, “Ireland’s sex industry: the crackdown begins” in The Irish Independent (21 August 1999) p. 31.
Eilis O’Hanlon, “We can’t blame ‘In Dublin’ for murder” in The Sunday Independent (22 August 1999) p. 4.
Jim Cusack and Judith Crosbie “Garda appeal over abduction and rape of prostitute” in The Irish Times (27 September 2000) p. 4
“Murder re-lived” in The Evening Herald (18 October 2005) p. 17.
Eugene Moloney, “Gardai renew witness appeal in hunt for prostitute’s killer” in The Irish Independent (18 December 2006) p. 3.
Tom Brady, “Cold case investigators confident of breakthrough” in The Irish Independent (28 November 2007) p. 11.
“Appeal for information – Murder of Belinda Pereira on the 29/12/1996” Garda Press office https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/office-of-corporate-communications/press-releases/2014/december/appeal-for-information-murder-of-belinda-pereira-on-the-29-12-1996.html (December 2014)
“Gardai renew appeal in Belinda Pereira case” in The Irish Examiner https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30656044.html (28 December 2014)
Jim Cusack, “Belinda killer’s remorse could lead to case breakthrough” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/belinda-killers-remorse-could-lead-to-case-breakthrough-30880436.html (3 January 2015)
Michael Doyle, “Cead Mile Murder: The most well known cases over the past 25 years where people came to Ireland looking for a better life – but met a tragic end” in The Irish Sunhttps://www.thesun.ie/news/1599745/the-most-well-known-cases-over-the-past-25-years-where-people-came-to-ireland-looking-for-a-better-life-but-met-a-tragic-end/
(29 September 2017)