Suzy suspect ‘waiting for his mother to die before he confesses’
THE man suspected of murdering Suzy Lamplugh will not give up his secrets until his mother dies, a relative said last night.
John Cannan, 64, is said to fear upsetting his 96-year-old mother Sheila, who is suffering from advanced dementia.
He has refused to discuss Miss Lamplugh’s 1986 disappearance with detectives who visited him in prison, where he is serving a 35-year sentence for another murder.
But a close family member, who did not want to be named, said the former car salesman may one day agree to reveal what he knows, if anything, about the notorious case.
The relative said: ‘I don’t think he will say anything until his mother passes away. They were very close, she used to visit him in prison every week.
‘I don’t think he would want to bring all the attention back on to her. He will wait until she is dead to reveal what happened.’
In 1992, Mrs Cannan sold her semidetached home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, which is now at the centre of a police search for Miss Lamplugh’s body. She lives about ten miles away in sheltered accommodation.
Police began a fresh search at the house this week after getting information the estate agent could be buried under a garage in the back garden.
Miss Lamplugh, 25, vanished after meeting a client in Fulham, south- west London, known only as Mr Kipper.
It was claimed her remains may have been buried in concrete in a vehicle inspection pit. But yesterday the focus of the search switched to a patio directly behind the house.
Miss Lamplugh’s sister Lizzie Bingham, 48, said: ‘We hope Suzy’s body will be found and we can have the closure we really need.’
Another of Cannan’s relatives, who played on the patio as a child, said he hoped the victim’s body will be found so the ‘monster’ can rot in jail.
The killer’s nephew, Will Proctor – who was 14 when Miss Lamplugh went missing – said: ‘The grave is the best place for him but prison will have to do for now.’
It emerged yesterday police may have missed a chance to catch Cannan at the time for Miss Lamplugh’s murder.
An internal report found the lead investigator tried to rule him out as he resented calls by Miss Lamplugh’s mother Diana to interview Cannan.