He never knew who murdered his darling daughter
As the father of Suzy Lamplugh dies at 87
THE father of Suzy Lamplugh died yesterday without discovering the fate of his missing daughter.
She vanished 32 years ago – presumed murdered – and her body has never been found.
Her father Paul, who was 87, campaigned tirelessly to make young people safer after her disappearance. The 25year-old estate agent was never seen again after leaving her office on July 28, 1986, to show a man around a house in Fulham, west London.
The only clue to her movements was an appointment she put in her work diary suggesting she was showing the property to a ‘Mr Kipper’. He has never been traced.
Her father and mother Diana established the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to improve awareness of personal safety, for which they received OBEs in 1992.
Yesterday Mr Lamplugh died in his sleep surrounded by his three surviving children after struggling with Parkinson’s.
In his last interview in November the former solicitor spoke movingly of how he imagined Suzy as a mother. She was officially declared dead in 1994.
John Cannan, who is serving three life sentences for the murder of Shirley Anne Banks in 1989, and a series of other sex attacks, was named as the prime suspect in November 2002 when police reopened the investigation.
The former car salesman denied any involvement in the case and the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was too little evidence to secure a conviction.
In 2008 detectives began investigating whether Steve Wright, known as the ‘Suffolk Strangler’, could have been her killer. He had worked with Suzy on the QE2 cruise liner when she was a hairdresser and he was a steward.
Wright’s former wife Diane told police she saw him having a long conversation with Suzy on the vessel.
She claimed Wright was on shore leave when the estate agent was abducted, telling the Daily Mail: ‘I’m sure Steve used the word ‘kipper’ as slang for face.’
Wright is serving life for murdering five women in ten days in Ipswich in 2006 – Britain’s fastest killing spree. Suzy’s family were told privately by officers in 2008 that it was unlikely Wright killed her and the Metropolitan Police says he is not ‘a strong line of inquiry’.
Shortly after Cannan was declared a suspect, Suzy’s mother had a severe stroke and later developed Alzheimer’s. She died aged 75 in 2011, but her husband carried on fighting for justice.
Following the 30th anniversary of his daughter’s disappearance, the frail widower said: ‘I do miss Suzy enormously, particularly nowadays, when I would have been grateful for her help.’
He said Cannan had played with police, adding: ‘It was a good lead. It may be right, I don’t know. The fact is, she is never going to come back – and that is the way it is.’ Yesterday his family issued a statement saying: ‘ Dad celebrated a wonderful 87th birthday party, surrounded by friends and family, just two weeks ago, which he thoroughly enjoyed. ‘It was typical of dad to want to throw a party to entertain everyone. In the end he went very peacefully and will be greatly missed not just by our family, but by his many friends.’
In a statement, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which celebrates its 32nd anniversary this year, paid tribute to Mr Lamplugh’s work.
Sir Ian Johnston, who is chairman of the board of trustees, said: ‘Paul was a truly remarkable man with phenomenal energy and perseverance. I saw him only a few weeks ago when he continued to urge me to do more with the trust to help people “stay safe”.’
Yesterday a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘The MPS remains committed to solving the Suzy Lamplugh case and we will continue to work toward this end. Officers will follow up any information in relation to this case.’
‘Phenomenal energy and perseverance’