Search will clear me, claims Suzy suspect
THE prime suspect in the murder of an estate agent who went missing 32 years ago has welcomed a police search of his mother’s former home.
In a letter to his solicitor, John Cannan said he hoped the search would “end speculation” that he was involved in the disappearance of 25-yearold Suzy Lamplugh.
Cannan, 64, is currently serving a life sentence in Full Sutton Prison for the 1987 murder of newlywed Shirley Banks.
His solicitor, Matthew Claughton, said: “John Cannan continues to deny involvement in the disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh.
“Mr Cannan hopes that the search of his mother’s former home will conclude swiftly so as to bring to an end speculation as to his involvement in this matter.”
Miss Lamplugh went missing after leaving her London office to meet a mystery client known only as Mr Kipper.
She was declared dead, presumed murdered, and Cannan was named by police as their prime suspect in 2002.
Three days before her disappearance, he had been released from a hostel at Wormwood Scrubs Prison, where he served a six-year sentence for rape.
He bore a strong resemblance to an photofit of her abductor and was allegedly nicknamed Kipper.
Forensic teams began excavating the garden of a semidetached property previously owned by Sheila Cannan in Shipton Road, Sutton Coldfield, earlier this week.
Phillip Carney, 52, who bought the house in 1992, said: “The searching seems intense. I’m praying that it will be done soon. Either [the property] is eliminated from it entirely or, if there is something found, it’s closure for the family, and this tragic story can come to an end.”
Officers have dismantled a garage at the rear of the garden and used angle grinders to dig through its concrete base. Patio slabs have also been removed.
Police carried out investigations at the address in 2003 following a case review in 2000, but did not dig up the garden.
Jim Dickie, the detective superintendent who led the inquiry between 2000 and 2006, said: “We had no evidence or intelligence to lead us to believe that John Cannan may have secreted Suzy’s body there.”
Scotland Yard last night declined to comment on whether investigators had discovered anything during the latest search.