Lamplugh police to dig garden linked to suspect’s mother
POLICE investigating the 32year mystery of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh’s murder are preparing to excavate the garden of a home previously owned by the prime suspect’s mother.
Miss Lamplugh was declared dead, presumed murdered, after going missing aged 25 in 1986, having left her west London offices to meet a mystery client known only as Mr Kipper.
The Metropolitan Police were yesterday leading the search at a Birmingham semi previously belonging to John Cannan’s mother.
The convicted killer, who is currently in jail for rape and murder, was named as the prime suspect by police in 2002 and her death has remained one of the UK’s most notorious cold cases.
In the aftermath of Suzy’s disappearance, her parents Paul and Diana, who is from Newport in Pembrokeshire, set up the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which has helped to highlight personal safety issues for women.
Both died before seeing their daughter’s killer brought to justice – Diana suffered a stroke in 2003 and passed away in 2011.
Miss Lamplugh’s brother Richard said he hoped her body would be found at the property in Sutton Coldfield so the family could have a “proper goodbye”.
“It has been a long time and we have had our expectations raised before but it would nice if we could finally have some closure,” he told the Mail Online.
Insurance marketer Phillip Carey said he purchased the home in Shipton Road from Sheila Cannan in 1992.
“From our point of view, we bought the house 26 years ago, from the suspected person’s mother, Sheila,” the 52-year-old told the Press Association. “We knew who she was, we became aware who she was as we went through the relationship, and obviously it was high profile at the time.”
Forensic activity yesterday was focused in the rear of the garden at the site of a dismantled garage, which was built on a concrete base.
It is not the first time police have been at the family home, the fatherof-two said, with officers visiting the garden over several months about 15 years ago.
Jim Dickie, the detective superintendent leading the investigation between 2000 and 2006, confirmed his officers did not dig or perform an “extensive” search of the home.
“We had no evidence or intelligence to lead us to believe that John Cannan may have secreted Suzy’s body there,” he told the BBC.
At the scene, specialist forensics scientists from the private company Alecto arrived carried equipment throughout the morning.
What sounded like an angle grinder was used in the garden, with dust billowing over the adjacent alleyway.
A blue tent was erected over where the garage stood behind gates leading to the rear of the home.
The Met, being supported by West Midlands Police officers, stressed that the current occupants of the property are in no way connected to the investigation.
Cannan, who was jailed for life in 1989 for the rape and murder of Bristol newlywed Shirley Banks, was named as the prime suspect by police in 2002.
On the day of her disappearance, witnesses reported seeing Miss Lamplugh argue with a man outside a property in Shorrolds Road, Fulham.
Three days earlier, Cannan had been released from a hostel at Wormwood Scrubs Prison, where he had been serving a six-year sentence for rape. He bore a strong resemblance to an e-fit of the abductor and, according to reports, he was nicknamed Kipper while serving his earlier sentence.
In 2002, claims were reported that Cannan had buried Miss Lamplugh’s body under his mother’s patio in the West Midlands.
A Scotland Yard spokesman at the time said the theory was “something we are currently considering”, but did not confirm reports they planned to excavate the garden in the coming days.
Yesterday a spokeswoman for the force declined to comment on why the dig was to take place now, citing the sensitivity of the operation, but a statement said it came following “information received”.
No-one has been convicted over Miss Lamplugh’s death and she was presumed dead in 1994.
It is not the first site to be dug in the search for her remains. Police twice excavated sites in Worcestershire, first near Norton Barracks in 2000 and then a meadow several miles away in 2010.
Cannan, now 64, has been questioned several times over the murder and has denied the allegation.
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust said the latest development is a reminder of the “continuing tragedy”, adding: “The thoughts of everyone at Suzy Lamplugh Trust are with Suzy’s family today.”
Cannan was ordered to serve a minimum of 35 years in prison, meaning he would be eligible to be considered for parole from 2024.
But the then Lord Chief Justice, Lord Lane, said he would “probably never be safe to release”.
Mr Carey said the latest search is a “surreal” experience, adding: “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.”