IT is difficult to imagine a more evil crime than the double murder of Nikitta Grender and her baby.

Within a couple of weeks Nikitta, her partner and her family were due to celebrate the happiest of days with the birth of the baby.

Now Nikitta's loved ones are enduring pain and suffering that is unimaginable to the rest of us.

Words are woefully inadequate at times like this but we want the family to know they have our sincerest condolences.

They have appealed to local people to help the police to catch the animal who committed this unspeakable crime and we join them in that wish.

Anyone with any information or even the slightest perception of something strange should contact the police.

The other thing people can do to help both the police and the family is not to indulge in speculation until the truth is known. We are well aware of rumours and we have heard some very inflammatory words.

It is vital that everyone remains calm and lets the police do their job.

We are also aware that a large media pack has descended on Newport because of the sensational nature of this case. We ask readers who are approached by anyone saying they are from the South Wales Argus to insist on seeing identification before they speak to reporters or photographers.

We will do our very best to treat this awful case with as much sensitivity as possible towards those most closely affected and we hope that the national media will do the same.

At the end of the day the only thing we can do for Nikitta and her unborn child is to help the police bring her killer to justice. That is where everyone's focus should be.