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Police dig for Suzy Lamplugh’s remains in garden of prime suspect John Cannan’s mum in a bid to solve the 32-year mystery
COPS searching for the body of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh began digging up a garden yesterday — in the hope of solving a 32-year mystery.
The property in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, is the former home of the mother of prime suspect John Cannan. Suzy, 25, was abducted in 1986 and declared dead, presumed murdered, in 1994.
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It follows information that Cannan may have buried 25-year-old Suzy there after abducting and murdering her. The home was first searched in 2003 but cops have now returned to dig up a section of the garden.
Excavation work was focusing on an old corrugated iron garage in the back garden of the semi- detached property in Sutton Coldfield, West Mids.
A forensic tent was also placed over an area of concrete patio.
Suzy disappeared after going to meet a client named “Mr Kipper” to show him two houses in Fulham, South West London in July 1986.
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Her body has never been found, though she was declared dead — presumed murdered — in 1994.
It remains one of Britain’s most infamous unsolved murders.
But cold case review detectives now suspect that after murdering Suzy, Cannan may have driven to what was then his mother’s home.
They fear he put Suzy’s body in an inspection pit in the garage he used for working on cars, before filling it with concrete.
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The corrugated iron structure was yesterday dismantled by Met Police specialist search cops to enable excavation work to start.
Ground-penetrating radar was used to scan the area and a tent was erected where the garage stood.
The team of about a dozen officers had shovels and garden forks on hand for digging.
A side entrance to the garden via a small private track, was cordoned off at around 8am as the search team arrived in eight police vans.
Officers conducted the grim search just a few feet from a children’s trampoline and a swing.
The importance of the search is enhanced by Cannan’s habit of returning to his mother’s home after committing serious crimes.
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10 reasons why he is prime suspect
- Mr Kipper. Cannan was nicknamed “Kipper” by others at a bail hostel where he lived at the time — due to his fondness for the fish and a habit of having a kip.
- Photofit. He bore a strong resemblance to the image of Suzy’s abductor compiled from witnesses.
- False alibi. Cannan claimed he was staying with his mum in Sutton Coldfield and had chatted up a local sales assistant the day that Suzy vanished. The woman confirmed Cannan approached her, but doubts later emerged over whether it was on the same day.
- Brief romance. In 2001, cops uncovered evidence suggesting that Cannan was the “mystery man” Suzy had a brief relationship with.
- Bristol businessman. Suzy said her boyfriend was a Bristol businessman — something Cannan pretended to be with other women.
- Stalking. A witness said they saw Cannan staring into Sturgis estate agents, where Suzy worked, shortly before her disappearance.
- Gifts. Cannan was known for showering women with flowers and champagne. An eyewitness saw a couple matching Suzy and Cannan’s descriptions laying in a local park with a bottle of bubbly beside them on the day she vanished.
- Taxi driver. A cabbie identified Cannan as a man who asked for a lift that lunchtime, while clutching champagne and estate agent house papers.
- The BMW. Detectives suspect Suzy’s killer parked a BMW near the second home in Fulham where she was taking “Mr Kipper” for a viewing in her office Ford Fiesta.
- Joking confession. Cannan joked to a former girlfriend, Gilly Paige, that he was Mr Kipper.
It is believed that his mother Sheila is in her 80s and living in a different part of the country.
There is no suggestion that she was involved in or had any knowledge of this or any of his crimes.
She previously spoke about the case in 2000, saying: "He has never discussed this with me, and I have never asked him.
"I suppose I have had it on my mind for so long. I am getting old, and you feel guilty yourself. He's mine, I can't deny that. He 's my son who I brought up.
"But I still can't understand anything about why. That's what disturbs you. It's very upsetting really."
The search at her former home is expected to go on for several days. A forensic archaeologist is guiding cops during the search.
It is being carried out with the full consent of a family who have lived there since Cannan’s mother moved out in 1992.
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Timeline
- 28 JULY 1986. Estate agent Suzy is abducted and killed after going to meet client “Mr Kipper”.
- 7 OCTOBER 1986. Cannan rapes a woman after abducting her at knifepoint in Reading.
- 7 OCTOBER 1987. He tries to abduct a woman at gunpoint in Bristol.
- 8 OCTOBER 1987. He kidnaps and murders Shirley Banks in Bristol.
- 29 OCTOBER 1987. Arrested trying to rob a shop in Leamington Spa.
- 30 OCTOBER 1987. Media speculation that Suzy’s murder could be linked to Shirley’s.
- FEBRUARY 1988: Cannan quizzed for first time over Suzy’s murder.
- APRIL 1989: Cannan convicted of rape, attempted abduction, murder and attempted robbery. Given whole life tariff, later reduced to 35-year minimum tariff.
- 1999: Police begin Suzy cold case review.
- 2000: New probe by homicide team.
- JUNE 2002: File sent to CPS recommending Cannan be prosecuted for Suzy’s murder.
- NOVEMBER 2002: CPS say insufficient evidence to prosecute. Police name Cannan as prime suspect.
- JUNE 2008: He loses ap- peal on 35- year tariff.
- OCTOBER 2018: Cops be- gin dig at mum’s old home.
The cold case review team is not conducting a full-scale investigation into Suzy’s abduction and murder but are said to be acting on specific information relating to the potential burial site.
A source said: “The couple who lived there were shocked when the police came to them asking to search their garden.
“But they have given their full consent to the search.
“Police have already conducted a cursory examination there and established that everything fits with what they were told.”
Insurance marketer Phillip Carey said he purchased the home in Sutton Coldfield, from Sheila Cannan in 1992.
The 52-year-old said: "From our point of view, we bought the house 26 years ago, from the suspected person's mother, Sheila.
"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."
It is not the first time police have searched at the family home, Mr Carey said, with officers looking in a similar area about 15 years ago before returning on Monday.
"This time it is very much about ultimately eliminating the property from the process entirely - it is just a matter of an ending, for us," he added.
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Police have since defended the decision not to dig up the garden more than a decade ago after searching the home in 2003.
DCI Jim Dickie, who led the investigation over six years from 2000, told the BBC: "They must have had new information or intelligence. We did not dig or carry out a search of the garden because there was no evidence to suggest the body was secreted there.
"John Cannan was in Fulham on the day of the murder. He murdered Shirley Banks and raped and abducted other women.
"He was Mr Kipper - he remains the prime suspect for Suzy Lamplugh's murder."
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Cannan, now 64, is serving a minimum 35 years in Full Sutton prison for the murder of Shirley Banks in 1987.
Information was first received in December 2002 from one of Cannan’s fellow prisoners, that Suzy was buried under the patio at his mother’s house.
The inmate came forward after police took the highly unusual step of naming Cannan as their prime suspect when the CPS ruled there was insufficient information to charge him with Suzy’s murder.
Cannan is serving three life sentences for murdering newlywed Shirley in Bristol in October 1987, attempting to kidnap a woman the previous evening and raping another woman at knifepoint in Reading, Berks, a year earlier.
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The suspected serial killer was captured three weeks after Shirley, 29, vanished, when he robbed a dress shop assistant at knifepoint in Leamington Spa, Warwicks.
A road tax disc from Shirley’s car was found in the glove box of Cannan’s black BMW. It led to the discovery of her Mini Clubman in his garage at a block of flats where he lived in Clifton, Bristol.
The Mini had the false number plate SLP 386S — suspected of being a reference to Suzy’s name.
Cannan was given a whole life sentence at Exeter crown court in April 1989, but it was commuted on appeal to a 35-year minimum tariff, meaning he is eligible to apply for parole in four years.
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Ex-car salesman Cannan is also a leading suspect in the murder of Bournemouth insurance worker Sandra Court, 27, whose body was found in a water-filled ditch after she was abducted in May 1986.
Despite a wealth of circumstantial evidence in Suzy’s murder pointing towards Cannan, the case against him has been undermined by a lack of forensic evidence and a body.
Three major searches for Suzy were conducted in the early 2000s and in 2010.
The first two focused on a former barracks site in Worcestershire.
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Then in 2010 a field near the barracks was searched, along with a Quantock Hills earthwork site in Somerset known as Dead Woman’s Ditch, where Shirley’s body was found in 1988.
The Met Police said last night: “The search follows information received in relation to a historical unsolved investigation.
“We will not be commenting on speculation surrounding the search, or providing any further information at this time.”
It's too late for parents
THE search at the former home of John Cannan’s mother comes too late for Suzy’s parents.
Her solicitor father Paul died in June this year aged 87 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Her mother Diana, 75, died in 2011.
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Following their daughter’s disappearance, the Lamplughs, of East Sheen, South West London, set up the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to promote safety of women in memory of their daughter.
They campaigned for better taxi safety and laws protecting victims of stalking.
The trust today said the development was a reminder over the "continuing tragedy" of Suzy's death.
They said in a statement: "The thoughts of everyone at Suzy Lamplugh Trust are with Suzy's family today
"Today we continue the work of (her parents) Paul and Diana to reduce violence and aggression in society, supporting workplaces to help their lone and frontline workers be safer and feel safer.
"Today's news reminds us once again of the continuing tragedy of Suzy's story and the importance of employers taking responsibility for the personal safety of their staff."
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The couple, who have three other children, Richard, Tamsin and Lizzie who were both awarded the OBE in 2004.
They were convinced of Cannan’s guilt.
Mr Lamplugh spoke out after the 2002 decision by the CPS not to prosecute.
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He said: “Suzy was a lovely girl and we and her brother and sisters and her many friends still miss her enormously.
“It’s greatly distressing that Suzy’s body has not been found nor do we know how she was killed.
“The least the offender can do now is tell us where the body is.”
Suzy Lamplugh: New Search
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