Suzy Lamplugh
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Susannah Jane Lamplugh (; born 3 May 1961) was a British
estate agent An estate agent is a person or business in the United Kingdom that arranges the selling, renting, or managing of real estate, properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a Letting agent, letting or manag ...
reported missing on 28 July 1986 (aged 25) in
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England, United Kingdom. She was officially declared dead, presumed
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
ed, in 1993. The last clue to Lamplugh's whereabouts was an appointment to show a house in Shorrolds Road to someone she called Mr. Kipper. The case remains unsolved with Lamplugh still missing, and is considered the world's most extensive missing persons inquiry.
John Cannan John David Guise Cannan (20 February 1954 – 6 November 2024) was a British murderer, serial rapist, serial abductor, and suspected serial killer. He was convicted in July 1988 and given three life sentences for the murder of Shirley Banks in ...
(1954–2024), a convicted criminal responsible for the murder of Shirley Banks in 1987 and many other
rapes Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person w ...
, abductions and attempted abductions since his release from prison three days before Lamplugh's disappearance, was the only suspect in the murder of Lamplugh. In November 2002, the
Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...
concluded that there was insufficient evidence to
charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
Cannan, but police announced at a press conference their belief that he had murdered Lamplugh. Cannan claimed to know who had killed Lamplugh and that the culprit was also responsible for the murder of Banks. He was known to have appeared uninvited at a house that was for sale in Shorrolds Road in the days before Lamplugh's disappearance, believing that the young female occupant was alone in the house, and acted strangely until the woman's husband appeared, causing Cannan to quickly leave.
DNA evidence Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
has also shown that Lamplugh had previously been in a car that Cannan owned at the time of her disappearance.


Disappearance

Suzy Lamplugh was an
estate agent An estate agent is a person or business in the United Kingdom that arranges the selling, renting, or managing of real estate, properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a Letting agent, letting or manag ...
working for an agency called Sturgis at 654 Fulham Road,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. She was reported missing after an appointment to show a house in Shorrolds Road,
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
to a man calling himself Mr. Kipper. Her office diary recorded the details of the appointment as: "12.45 Mr. Kipper – 37 Shorrolds O/S" (the "O/S" annotation signifies "outside the property"). Three witnesses saw Lamplugh outside 37 Shorrolds Road between 12:45 and 1:00 p.m. A man walking home past the house saw Lamplugh at the gateway of the property at 12:50 p.m., and she seemed to be waiting for someone. Ten minutes later, the owner of the house next door heard someone leaving #37 and saw Lamplugh and a man leaving the house and looking back up at it. This sighting was later the basis of an
identikit A facial composite is a graphical representation of one or more eyewitnesses' memories of a face, as recorded by a composite artist. Facial composites are used mainly by police in their investigation of (usually serious) crimes. These images a ...
of the unidentified male.The sighting of the pair standing outside the house was corroborated by another man who was walking past the property at around the same time. He noticed that the man was holding a bottle of
champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
with ribbons around it. This sighting was later the basis of another identikit picture drawn of the man. Witnesses reported that they then saw the pair entering a car. The neighbour thought that the pair had been arguing before entering the car. Witnesses described the man as a white male between 25 and 30, with a dark complexion and with dark hair swept back. He was immaculately dressed in a dark charcoal suit, and was described as a " public schoolboy type". He may have had a broken nose. A man said that he had seen a "couple arguing" between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m. in the area. There was then a sighting of Lamplugh driving her car erratically away from Shorrolds Road, arguing with the man in the car, causing the witness to swerve to avoid a collision. Lamplugh's white
Ford Fiesta The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car that was marketed by Ford from 1976 to 2023 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and had been positioned below the ...
(registration B396 GAN) was sighted poorly parked outside a garage opposite 123 Stevenage Road, about away, by several witnesses at various points in the afternoon. However, her close friend Barbara Whitfield insisted that she had seen Lamplugh driving north up the Fulham Palace Road in her car with a man at around 2:45 p.m. Whitfield waved to Lamplugh as she cycled south down the road, but Lamplugh was talking to her passenger and did not see her. As Whitfield was the only witness that day who actually knew Lamplugh, her sighting was afforded significant weight. A woman living at 139 Stevenage Road also reported possibly seeing Lamplugh with a smartly dressed man wearing a suit by the spot where her car was seen parked.By 3:30 p.m., Lamplugh's colleagues at the estate agency were becoming concerned that she had not returned. At 4:30, they travelled to 37 Shorrolds Road to see if she was there, but she was not. At 5:30, they called the police to report her
missing Missing or The Missing may refer to: Film * ''Missing'' (1918 film), an American silent drama directed by James Young * ''Missing'' (1982 film), an American historical drama directed by Costa-Gavras about the 1973 coup in Chile *, a Belgian film ...
. At 10:00 p.m., a police officer found Lamplugh's car parked in the same spot at which it had been sighted that afternoon, which was by another house for sale. The vehicle appeared to have been parked in haste, as the driver's door was open, the
handbrake HandBrake is a free and open-source transcoder for digital video files. It was originally developed in 2003 by Eric Petit to make ripping DVDs to a data storage device easier. HandBrake's backend contains comparatively little original code; t ...
was not enabled and the key was missing. The car was parked poorly and was partly overlapping a garage. Lamplugh's purse was found in the car, but neither her own keys nor the keys to 37 Shorrolds Road were found. The driver's seat was pushed back to a position from which Lamplugh would not have been able to drive the car, indicating that someone else had driven the car. Police suggested that a black,
left-hand-drive Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes called the ' ...
BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
vehicle may have been involved following an eyewitness account of a car of that description seen parked in Shorrolds Road. The man remembered seeing it because many cars in the road had been
double parked Double parking refers to parking parallel to a car already parked at the curb or double parking in attended car parks and garages. Parking parallel to a car already parked at the curb "Double parking" means standing or parking a vehicle on the ...
, causing him some difficulty driving through the road. Another witness corroborated this account and said that he had seen the dark-coloured BMW parked almost outside 37 Shorrolds Road. Witnesses also said that they had seen two white Ford Fiestas parked in Shorrolds Road that day. A witness emerged some time later with another significant sighting. The witness had offered information after the disappearance, but his account was dismissed at that time because he had described a blond-haired woman, and the police incorrectly assumed that Lamplugh had brown hair when she vanished. The witness was jogging when he saw a car speeding south down Stevenage Road (the same road in which Lamplugh's car was later found abandoned) as he emerged from Bishop's Park into the road at the exit by
Fulham F.C. Fulham Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of English football league system, English football. They have played home games at Craven ...
's
Craven Cottage Craven Cottage is a football stadium in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 29,589; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game agains ...
stadium. The car, which he noticed was a dark-coloured left-hand-drive BMW, suddenly stopped further down the road and a woman who matched Lamplugh's appearance was seen struggling with a man inside the car and sounding the horn in an apparent attempt to attract attention. In his description of the incident, the witness stated: A sighting was also reported witnessing a woman matching Suzy's appearance on the adjacent Langthorne Street.


Initial investigations


Missing-person inquiry

Lamplugh's boyfriend, a 27-year-old
stockbroker A stockbroker is an individual or company that buys and sells stocks and other investments for a financial market participant in return for a commission, markup, or fee. In most countries they are regulated as a broker or broker-dealer and ...
, and her male flatmate were both questioned by police, but both had solid alibis with corroborating witnesses. Lamplugh's two-bedroom flat in
Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...
was searched, but nothing notable or suspicious was found. It was soon suggested in the press that if Mr. Kipper's first name was Dan, the combined would be an
anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into the phrase "nag a ram"; which ...
of "kidnapper". Lamplugh's office manager revealed that a bunch of red
roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
had been delivered to the office by a mystery man just days before she had disappeared. Police released a photo of Lamplugh with dark brown hair, but she had tinted her hair blond on the Friday before she vanished. The initial investigation was conducted without computers, using an old-fashioned card-index system in which all leads were filed on approximately 26,000 cards. Because Lamplugh was only considered a missing person, known criminals in the area were not considered as suspects. Six months after Lamplugh's disappearance, a man informed police that he had discovered that a BMW that had been left abandoned in a road for some months was registered to a Belgian man known sometimes as Mr. Kiper, and detectives believed that this information was significant. However, the car's owner was located in Belgium and had a confirmed alibi for the day of Lamplugh's disappearance, and his BMW had been in a garage in Belgium on that day. He was swiftly eliminated as a suspect. One year after Lamplugh's disappearance, detectives noted that the artist's impression of Mr. Kipper strongly resembled
John Cannan John David Guise Cannan (20 February 1954 – 6 November 2024) was a British murderer, serial rapist, serial abductor, and suspected serial killer. He was convicted in July 1988 and given three life sentences for the murder of Shirley Banks in ...
, a convicted rapist (and later abductor and murderer) who had been residing in a nearby prison hostel outside
HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs (nicknamed "The Scrubs") is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom, Category B men's local prison, located in the White City, London, White City area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West ...
around the time of Lamplugh's disappearance. In 1980, he had raped and beaten his girlfriend when she tried to leave him, and he raped a shopkeeper at knifepoint in 1981. Cannan had been on day release from the prison in the months preceding Lamplugh's disappearance and held a job in the area as a
porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., a locom ...
. He was public school-educated and was known for his ability to attract women. In the weeks before Lamplugh disappeared, Cannan had told inmates and workmates that he was frequenting wine bars in
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
and had met a new "uptown" girlfriend named Susu. Lamplugh had visited some of the wine bars, including one located opposite from her office. Cannan also frequented a pub in Putney that Lamplugh visited on 25 July 1986, the same day on which Cannan was released from prison, three days before Lamplugh's disappearance. Cannan confirmed in 2021 that he had visited the bars and pubs. He often delivered roses to women as a romantic ploy and had told people that he was interested in buying a property in the area. In June 1987, Lamplugh's mother Diana said that she believed that her daughter was dead.


Shirley Banks and Cannan links investigated

In October 1987, 15 months after Lamplugh's disappearance, John Cannan abducted and murdered 29-year-old Shirley Banks from
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
. He attempted to rape two women in a shop three weeks later after driving to the shop in his black BMW. He had also tried to abduct a woman the night before he had abducted Banks and had been visiting wine bars in Bristol to search for victims. He had held Banks hostage in his flat for 18 hours before killing her and dumping her at a site in the
Quantock Hills The Quantock Hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England, consist of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land. They were England's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, designated in 1956. Natural England have desi ...
known as Dead Woman's Ditch. Inside his dark BMW was found an imitation handgun,
handcuffs Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...
and the tax disc for Banks' car. Soon after Cannan was arrested, Banks'
Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...
car was found hidden in his garage, with a new, false number plate affixed reading "SLP 386S". Detectives later noted that the letters SLP could stand for Suzy Lamplugh and the number 86 for 1986, the year in which she vanished. The media began to note the likeness between Cannan and the photofit in the Lamplugh case, and speculated about a link between the Banks and Lamplugh cases. It was also known that Cannan had joined a
dating agency A dating agency, also known as a marriage bureau, marriage agency, matrimonial bureau or matrimonial agency, is a business that provides matchmaking services to potential couples, with a view toward romance and/or marriage between them. Variati ...
in Bristol weeks before he had murdered Banks, providing a false name of John Peterson, and had presented himself in a recorded video as a successful, smartly dressed businessman. The video remains publicly available. Metropolitan Police detectives travelled to
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
to interview Cannan about the Lamplugh disappearance. When he was asked by detectives if he understood the significance of the number plate, he replied that it could be seen as a reference to Suzy Lamplugh, whom the detectives had not yet mentioned. However, Cannan claimed that he had chosen the letters for the plate at random. He claimed that he had bought the car from a "Bristol businessman" who was responsible for "the murders of Shirley Banks, Suzy Lamplugh and another girl" and that the man was in a great deal of trouble. Cannan was known for masquerading as a Bristol businessman. When asked if the man was himself, Cannan provided an affirmative response but immediately recanted and ended the interview because he was overcome with emotion. Cannan was sentenced to
life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...
for the murder of Banks and for several other rapes, abductions and attempted abductions. He was also convicted of the rape of a woman in
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
on the train line between London and Bristol, six weeks after his release from Wormwood Scrubs prison. The sentencing judge told Cannan "you should never again be at liberty outside of prison walls." Further interviews were conducted with Cannan regarding Lamplugh's disappearance in 1988, 1989 and 1990. However, he was not placed on an identity parade. In 1990, a woman named Gilly Paige, with whom Cannan had been in a relationship after Lamplugh's disappearance, informed police that Cannan had spoken about the Lamplugh case and told her that Lamplugh was buried at
Norton Barracks Norton Barracks is a former military installation in Norton, Worcestershire. The keep is a Grade II listed building. History The barracks were built in the Fortress Gothic Revival Style between 1874 and 1877. Their creation took place as part o ...
. Another former girlfriend of Cannan, Daphne Sargent, also believed Cannan to be responsible, saying: "As soon as I heard about Suzy, I knew it was John. It had all the hallmarksright down to the champagne."


Cold case

In the years after Lamplugh's disappearance, police tested the
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
of 800 unidentified bodies and skeletal remains that matched her description. Lamplugh was officially declared dead at her parents' behest, exactly seven years after her 1986 disappearance, on 27 July 1993. She was presumed to have been murdered.


Andrew Stephen book controversy

In 1988, journalist Andrew Stephen published a highly controversial book on the Lamplugh case. The book, which was initially supported by the Lamplugh family before they read its draft versions, included several allegations about Lamplugh's sex life and personal life. Stephen suggested that Lamplugh might have been involved in
prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
. The book was widely labelled as salacious and false, and Stephen was accused of
victim blaming Victim blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially at fault for the harm that befell them. There is historical and current prejudice against the victims of domestic violence and sex crimes, such as ...
. In an unprecedented move, the Metropolitan Police responded to the book by defending Lamplugh's personal life and stating "our investigations revealed nothing more than that Suzy was a modern young woman." A highly critical review of the book in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' asserted that Stephen had included a large amount of his own speculations on what he called Lamplugh's "quest for sexual fulfilment" because he needed filler material to add to the story. The Lamplugh family brought legal action and forced Stephen to add a
disclaimer A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship. In contrast to other terms for legally operative langua ...
to the book stating that the family did not recognise or accept his portrayal of Lamplugh.


Michael Sams speculation and elimination

In the mid-1990s, speculation arose that
Michael Sams Michael Benneman Sams (born 11 August 1941) is an English kidnapper, extortionist, rapist and murderer. He kidnapped Julie Dart in July 1991 and later murdered her following her attempted escape. He subsequently kidnapped Stephanie Slater in Ja ...
may have murdered Lamplugh, as he had just been convicted of kidnapping an estate agent named Stephanie Slater in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, as well as murdering
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
prostitute Julie Dart. However, police found no evidence for the theory and discounted it, noting that Sams' crimes were likely to have been influenced by the high-profile Lamplugh case. Furthermore, Sams only had one leg by 1986, and no witness sightings of the man seen with Lamplugh on that day reported him walking with a
limp A limp is a type of asymmetric abnormality of the gait. Limping may be caused by pain, weakness, neuromuscular imbalance, or a skeletal deformity. The most common underlying cause of a painful limp is physical trauma; however, in the absence ...
or having only one leg.


Case reopened


Reinvestigations

In 1999, an internal report by the Metropolitan Police criticised the handling of the original investigation and failure to further investigate John Cannan. A new reinvestigation was launched in the early 2000s with a new team whose detectives were directed to determine whether Cannan could be eliminated as a suspect or implicated in Lamplugh's murder. The reinvestigations established that Cannan could not be eliminated and discovered more evidence that implicated him. The paper index cards used in the original investigation were computerised, and investigators learned that several estate agents in Fulham had been visited at the time by a man calling himself Mr. Kipper. Detectives believed that this had been Cannan seeking potential victims for abduction and murder. In the late 1970s and into 1980, during the final years of Cannan's troubled marriage to his wife June Vale, there had been a series of mysterious rapes in homes for sale in the West Midlands, where Cannan was living. The unidentified rapist specifically targeted homes on the market for sale by estate agents and became known as the "house for sale rapist". Twenty women were assaulted and raped in properties in the area, and no one was ever arrested for the crimes. Police suspect that Cannan was responsible for the crimes, which began as his marriage was failing. The rapes stopped in early 1980 when Cannan began a new relationship with a woman named Sharon Major. Detectives would later note that the offences bore all of the hallmarks of Cannan's later crimes and also noted the similarities to the Lamplugh case. Cannan had appeared uninvited at a house that was for sale in Shorrolds Road days before Lamplugh was last seen, believing that the young female occupant was alone in the house. He acted strangely until the woman's husband appeared, causing him to quickly leave. After new reconstructions were shown on ''
Crimewatch ''Crimewatch'' (formerly ''Crimewatch UK'') is a British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes in order to gain information from the public which may assist in solving the case. The programme was or ...
'' in 2000, including correct pictures of Lamplugh with blond hair, new witnesses emerged. The witnesses included a man who said that he had seen a man resembling Cannan looking into the window of Lamplugh's estate agency on the day on which she had disappeared. Lamplugh had worked at a desk near the window, in part because the office believed that positioning an attractive woman by the window would attract customers. Some witnesses also emerged after police showed Cannan's 1987 dating video who positively identified him as a man whom they had seen in Fulham that day. During the reinvestigation of the Lamplugh case, a mass of circumstantial evidence was uncovered that pointed to Cannan. It was discovered that Lamplugh had disclosed to relatives shortly before she disappeared that she had a new boyfriend from the Bristol area, where Cannan had moved days after the disappearance and from where his family originated. Lamplugh also told a relative shortly before she vanished that she was concerned about the man and was becoming scared of him. Despite being in prison in the borough of
Hammersmith and Fulham Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...
before the disappearance, Cannan denied ever having been to
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. Police disproved this claim, as Cannan was known to have had worked as a porter in the area at the time while on day release from the open prison. The witness sightings of a dark, left-hand-drive BMW parked near Lamplugh and in which she was seen struggling were afforded added significance when it emerged that Cannan owned such a car at the time, which he had used to commit crimes with a fellow inmate. Cannan did not have an alibi for the days after leaving prison and claims to not recall where he was at the time, despite having an impeccable memory of other events at the time. Cannan's nickname in prison was Mr. Kipper because he wore kipper-style broad ties. In December 2000, Cannan was arrested on suspicion of Lamplugh's abduction and murder and interviewed at
Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...
police station. Video footage of parts of the interview were later leaked publicly and are still available for public viewing. In the footage, Cannan says that there are "one or two things I haven't been caught for". Over five days of interviews, Cannan did not provide interviewers with any information that could eliminate him from the inquiry and did not provide an alibi for his movements between 25 and 28 July 1986. In September 2001, Cannan was arrested again and questioned at a London police station, but he again provided no information that could eliminate him from the inquiry.


Mysterious call on the afternoon of disappearance

Investigators believe that Lamplugh placed a mysterious phone call during the afternoon in which she disappeared. Three days before she disappeared, on the same day on which Cannan was released from the open prison nearby, Lamplugh had visited the Prince of Wales pub in Putney, which was also frequented by Cannan. While she was there, the contents of her handbag went missing, and after she left they were found by the landlord of the pub. The landlord telephoned Lamplugh to inform her and she arranged to collect her belongings at 6 p.m. on Monday 28 July, the day on which she disappeared. Several hours after Lamplugh vanished, a woman identifying herself as Sarah phoned the pub saying that she had a message for Lamplugh, and she left her number. A man then phoned the pub claiming to be a policeman and asking if the pub had Lamplugh's diary and chequebook. The police confirmed the man was not a policeman, and it was not known who Sarah was. The landlord said that he gave the paper upon which he had written the phone number to police, although it was later lost. The first call was placed well before Lamplugh's disappearance had even been reported, and it may have been Lamplugh making a plea for help or calling under duress. The man identifying as a policeman may have been Cannan. When Shirley Banks had been abducted by Cannan and held hostage in his flat in 1987, she placed a call under duress to her workplace the next morning, stating that she was sick and would not be reporting to work that day. It is believed that she placed the call because Cannan had convinced her that he would release her unharmed. The call was the last message received from her before she was found murdered. Detectives on the reinvestigation team also believed that Cannan could have been responsible for taking the contents of her handbag in the pub, and stated the events were a clear indicator of
stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitorin ...
.


Searches for body

Based on the evidence, the police began a search for Lamplugh's body. Investigators wanted to dig at Norton Barracks, where Cannan had allegedly told former girlfriend Gilly Paige that the body was buried and which was identified by an anonymous informant in 1999. The area had been significantly redeveloped in the intervening years, however, the Army having left the site in 1979 and investigators were not able to dig in the area because of the houses now standing there. Detectives considered the possibility that the SLP 386 S number plate that Cannan had attached to Banks' car could be an
ordnance survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...
grid reference A projected coordinate systemalso called a projected coordinate reference system, planar coordinate system, or grid reference systemis a type of spatial reference system that represents locations on Earth using Cartesian coordinate system, Car ...
, as this would provide a location very close to Dead Woman's Ditch, where Banks was found dumped. Cannan was known to play such tricks with investigators, and it was believed that if his decision to dump Banks' body in Dead Woman's Ditch was intentional, the letters and numbers on the plate could have been as well. As a result, investigators searched the area, but Lamplugh's body was not found. In December 2000, police searched a brickworks near Norton Barracks that had been mentioned in several of the original witness statements. A year later, another search was conducted in
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
at a location by a river that Cannan was said to have frequented. However, no remains were found.


Cannan announced as murderer

The Lamplugh case team concluded that there was significant evidence against Cannan to apply for a prosecution. The
Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...
agreed that the police reinvestigation had been excellent and thorough, but ultimately decided after four months of deliberations that there was insufficient evidence to charge Cannan with the murder. The police so strongly felt that Cannan was responsible that they proclaimed such during a press conference in November 2002. They also announced that all other possible suspects had been eliminated and that Cannan was the only suspect. The lead detective in the reinvestigations, Jim Dickie, stated that he was as certain as possible without conducting a formal judicial process that Cannan was responsible. The investigation was summarised in an
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
''
Real Crime ''Real Crime'' is a British documentary television series produced by ITV Studios for the ITV network. Each episode examines a notorious crime and includes interviews with relatives of the victims. It was broadcast from 2001 to 2011, and ended ...
'' programme in 2002. In 2007, a criminologist who had corresponded with Cannan revealed that the police reinvestigations of 2000–2002 had discovered DNA evidence in a car previously owned by Cannan that showed that Lamplugh had been inside the vehicle. The criminologist informed police that Cannan said that he had access to a red
Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a Mid-size car, mid-size/D-segment, large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982–1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Bob Lutz (businessman), Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, and was noted for ...
at the time when Lamplugh disappeared, a fact about which police were previously unaware. Detectives attempted to find the car and discovered it in a north London scrapyard, allowing them to conduct DNA analysis upon it. Although these tests indicated that both Lamplugh and Cannan had been in the car, the
Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...
felt that there was insufficient evidence to prove that both had been in the vehicle at the same time, meaning charges could not be brought against Cannan. Although he previously had said he drove the car often, Cannan subsequently changed his story and denied ever having used the vehicle, but the man who had lent it to him confirmed that Cannan had access to the car at the time and said that Cannan may have used it on the day Lamplugh disappeared.


Links to Sandra Court murder

When interviewed about the disappearance of Lamplugh in 1988, Cannan had said that he knew a "Bristol businessman" who was responsible for "the murders of Shirley Banks, Suzy Lamplugh and another girl". Investigators believe that he was talking about himself, as he was convicted of Banks' murder. The other girl that he mentioned is believed to be Sandra Court, a 27-year-old office worker who was abducted and killed in
Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
in May 1986. In November 2001, police interviewed Cannan at a police station in York regarding Court's murder. He had been in the prison hostel at
Wormwood Scrubs Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs (or simply Scrubs), is an open space in Old Oak Common located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the borough ...
at the time but was allowed to leave the facility at weekends and had access to a red
Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a Mid-size car, mid-size/D-segment, large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982–1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Bob Lutz (businessman), Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, and was noted for ...
, the same car that was tested in the Lamplugh case. A pay-and-display ticket proves that Cannan was in
Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
on the day that Court was killed. Court had been dropped off by a taxi driver in Throop, Dorset near her sister's house after a night out, but her sister was not at home. She was last seen walking barefoot, appearing slightly drunk, at around 2:45 a.m. Court's body was found the next day in a water-filled ditch several miles away. When interviewed, Cannan denied having been in Bournemouth on the day in question but was proved to be lying because of the parking tickets discovered by police. When the Ford Sierra was discovered at the north London scrapyard during the Lamplugh reinvestigations of the early 2000s, two hairs were found inside that matched Court's DNA. However, the DNA evidence was not strong enough to bring a prosecution against Cannan for her murder.


Steve Wright speculation and elimination

In 1982, Lamplugh had worked as a
beautician Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such a ...
on the ocean liner ''
Queen Elizabeth 2 ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' (''QE2'') is a retired British ocean liner. Built for the Cunard Line, the ship was operated as a transatlantic liner and cruise ship from 1969 to 2008. She was laid up until converted into a floating hotel, operating sin ...
.'' At the same time, Steve Wright, who was convicted in February 2008 of the murder of five women in
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
, was working as a steward on the ''QE2''. In 2008, the Metropolitan Police investigated whether Wright was connected with Lamplugh's disappearance, but this was not a strong line of enquiry and a senior police officer described the link as "speculative". Police investigated Wright's ''QE2'' work records and found that he was working on the ship on the day that Lamplugh disappeared, meaning that he could not have been responsible for her abduction and murder.


Later searches

In August 2010, police began searching a field off the B4084 between
Pershore Pershore () is a market town and civil parish in the Wychavon district in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. At the 2011 UK census, census, the population was 7,125. The town is best known for Per ...
and
Drakes Broughton Drakes Broughton is a village in Worcestershire, England. The village is located on the B4084 road (previously the A44) 2 miles north-west of Pershore and 7 miles south-east of Worcester. The village has two pubs; the Old Oak and the Plough and ...
, about three miles from the former Norton Barracks in Worcestershire where detectives had wanted to search in 2000. Investigators also returned to Norton Barracks and subjected it to a limited search, but Lamplugh's remains were not found. In December 2002, one of Cannan's fellow prisoners told police that Cannan had said that he had buried Lamplugh under the patio of his mother's house in
Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...
in the West Midlands. In late October 2018, police searched the house. They dismantled the garage and began removing its concrete floor whilst also searching the back garden. On 12 November 2018, police announced that the search had yielded no evidence. In July 2019, a police search of land in
Pershore Pershore () is a market town and civil parish in the Wychavon district in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. At the 2011 UK census, census, the population was 7,125. The town is best known for Per ...
, with the assistance of archaeologists, produced no relevant evidence. In August 2019, the Specialist Investigation Team was informed of the sighting of a man resembling Cannan dumping a suitcase in the
Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the Canals of the United Kingdom, British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another to Birmi ...
on the day of Lamplugh's disappearance. However, this section of the canal was previously searched in September 2014 for an unrelated inquiry. The canal sighting was covered in the documentaries ''The Vanishing of Suzy Lamplugh'' and ''In the Footsteps of Killers''.


Current status

Cannan remained the prime (and only) suspect in the case, and he falsely claimed that the Metropolitan Police had eliminated him as a suspect. He protested his innocence not only of involvement in Lamplugh's disappearance but of nearly all other crimes for which he had been convicted, including those that were proven with DNA links and
fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...
evidence. This included the rape of the woman in Reading for which forensic evidence showed the chances of the perpetrator being anyone other than Cannan were 260 million to one. While in prison, Cannan told a solicitor that he might well "reveal all" about Lamplugh when his mother died. However, in 2020, his brother revealed that his sister had already unsuccessfully begged him to reveal the location of Lamplugh's body, and the brother had insisted that he will "take his secrets to the grave" because he "doesn't have a modicum of regret, conscience or compassion" and is "a power freak".
Criminologist Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...
Christopher Berry-Dee, who exchanged hundreds of letters with Cannan while writing a book on him, has also said that Cannan will not reveal where he deposited the body, as Cannan is a "control freak". Fellow criminologist David Wilson has agreed and said that Cannan will not confess because he is a
psychopath Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality Construct (psychology), construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with boldness, bold, disinhibited, and egocentrism, egocentric traits. These traits are often ma ...
. Cannan was eligible for parole in 2022. His first parole hearing was scheduled for March 2023, but was postponed until October of that year. His parole bid was denied and he remained in prison. Cannan died in
HM Prison Full Sutton HM Prison Full Sutton is a Category A and B men's prison in the village of Full Sutton, near Pocklington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Full Sutton is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and held 572 inmates in March 2024. Th ...
on 6 November 2024.


Suzy Lamplugh Trust

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is a charitable foundation established in December 1986 by Lamplugh's parents, Paul and Diana Lamplugh. The mission of the trust is to raise awareness of personal safety through training and various projects, to help people avoid aggression and to offer counselling and support to relatives and friends of missing people. The trust runs the UK's National Stalking Helpline. Paul and Diana Lamplugh were appointed to
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 1992 and 2005, respectively, for their charitable work with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. Diana Lamplugh died in August 2011 at the age of 75, and Paul Lamplugh died at the age of 87 in June 2018. Rachel Griffin, CEO of the trust since 2012, died of cancer in August 2019.


Commemorative window

Lamplugh and her family were members of the congregation at All Saints Church, East Sheen, in the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...
. She is commemorated there in a
stained-glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
that was installed in 1996.


Television documentaries

Lamplugh's disappearance has been the subject of a number of documentaries: *On 16 August 1989, a ''
Crimewatch File ''Crimewatch File'' was a British television programme which reconstructed the investigation of a single case that had previously been covered by ''Crimewatch'' which viewers had previously helped to solve. History Broadcast on BBC One, it was ...
'' documentary on John Cannan's conviction for the murder of Shirley Banks was aired. It also noted the suggestions of a possible link between Cannan and the Lamplugh murder. Cannan tried unsuccessfully to prevent the programme's broadcast. *On 12 September 2001, a ''
Real Crime ''Real Crime'' is a British documentary television series produced by ITV Studios for the ITV network. Each episode examines a notorious crime and includes interviews with relatives of the victims. It was broadcast from 2001 to 2011, and ended ...
'' documentary was aired on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
that examined the Lamplugh case. It was concluded that Cannan was likely responsible for her murder. *In 2002, a documentary titled ''The Man Who Killed Suzy Lamplugh?'' was aired on Channel 5. It concluded that Cannan was likely responsible for her murder. *In 2015, a ''
Crimes That Shook Britain ''Crimes That Shook Britain'' is a television series first aired in 2008 on Crime & Investigation UK, focusing on uncovering the truth behind crimes that shocked the nation. Some episodes were also rebroadcast in random episode order from 2014 ...
'' documentary aired that focused on the Lamplugh case. It concluded that Cannan was likely responsible for her murder. *In December 2020, a documentary titled ''The Vanishing of Suzy Lamplugh'' aired on Channel 5. It concluded that Cannan was likely responsible for her murder. *On 9 March 2021, a two-part Sky TV documentary titled ''The Suzy Lamplugh Mystery''/''The Mystery of Suzy Lamplugh'' was aired. It concluded that Cannan was likely responsible for her murder. *On 16 June 2021, an episode of
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
and
criminologist Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...
David Wilson's documentary series ''In the Footsteps of Killers'' aired, focusing on Lamplugh's case. It concluded that Cannan was likely responsible for her murder. *On 2 October 2021, an episode of Faking It: Tears of a Crime called The Prime Suspect goes into details of the mistakes made by John Cannan to be considered a suspect in Lamplugh's disappearance


See also

*
List of people who disappeared {{Short description, Lists of people of unknown locations and statusLists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated: Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ' ...
*
Murder of Lindsay Buziak Lindsay Elizabeth Buziak (November 2, 1983 – February 2, 2008) was a Canadians, Canadian Real estate broker, real estate agent who was murdered on February 2, 2008, during a property viewing in Saanich, British Columbia, Saanich, a suburb of Vi ...
– the 2008 murder of a real estate agent in Canada after she met clients about whom she had expressed concerns *
Murder of Helen McCourt On 9 February 1988, Helen McCourt, a 22-year-old British insurance clerk from Bootle, Merseyside, disappeared in the village of Billinge, Merseyside, Billinge, Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, shortly after disembarking from a bus ...
– high-profile UK case in which the murderer refused to disclose the location of the victim's body before he died in 2022, led to the introduction of Helen's Law * Murder of Lindsay Rimer – unsolved 1994 case of a British girl who disappeared in
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
and whose body was found a year later in a nearby canal * Murder of Carolanne Jackson – an unsolved 1987 UK murder that is believed to have involved stalking *


Notes


References


Further reading

* * *


External links


October 1986 ''Crimewatch'' reconstruction and appealCannan's 1987 dating video, released by policeThe Suzy Lamplugh Trust
An organisation created by Suzy's mother, Diana Lamplugh, to promote personal safety.
''The search for Suzy''
from the BBC.
''BBC On this Day''
BBC page on 30 July 1986, the day the appeal was made by Lamplugh's parents for her safe return.
''Witness describes 'Lamplugh kidnap
from the BBC.
Casefile True Crime Podcast – Case 48: Suzy Lamplugh
– 4 March 2017
1989 ''Crimewatch File'' documentary on Cannan2001 ''Real Crime'' documentary on the Lamplugh case2002 documentary on the Lamplugh case titled ''The Man Who Killed Suzy Lamplugh?''2015 ''Crimes That Shook Britain'' documentary on the case2020 documentary on the Lamplugh case titled ''The Vanishing of Suzy Lamplugh''2021 ''In the Footsteps of Killers'' documentary on the Lamplugh case
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamplugh, Suzy 1980s crimes in London 1980s missing person cases 1986 in London 1986 murders in the United Kingdom 20th century in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Deaths by person in London Fulham 1986 crimes July 1986 July 1986 in the United Kingdom Missing person cases in London Unsolved murders in London Violence against women in London