Where is John Cannan now and why is he the prime suspect as Mr Kipper connected with the disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh?
OVER three decades after estate agent Suzy Lamplugh disappeared police dug up the garden of the house where prime suspect John Cannan's mum once lived.
Lamplugh, 25, was abducted in 1986 after going to meet a client named “Mr Kipper” to show him two houses in Fulham, and was declared dead, presumed murdered, in 1994 - here's how Cannan is connected to her disappearance.
Where is John Cannan now?
John Cannan is currently held in Full Sutton prison for the murder of another woman, newlywed Shirley Banks, in 1987.
In 1989 he was convicted of rape, attempted abduction, murder and attempted robbery following a series of crimes against young professional women.
On the evening before his murder of Banks, Cannan had attempted to kidnap another woman, and he was also found to have raped a third at knifepoint in Reading, Berks, a year earlier.
The crimes saw him given three life sentences, and despite originally being given a whole life tariff, this was later reduced to a minimum 35-year sentence.
He had since attempted to appeal the mandatory 35 years, which has been rejected.
Why is he the prime suspect as Mr Kipper connected with Suzy Lamplugh's disappearance?
Cold case detectives named Cannan as the prime suspect in November 2002 after the Crown Prosecution Service rejected their attempt to charge him, deeming there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.
A fellow prison inmate came forward after the naming, saying that Lamplugh was buried under the patio at Cannan's mother’s house.
Detectives now believe Cannan may have driven to what was then his mother’s home following the suspected murder.
Police said there was no suggestion the mother was involved, and they think he may have put Suzy’s body in an inspection pit in the garage he used for working on cars, before filling it with concrete.
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 search at the mother's former home is expected to go on for several days. A forensic archaeologist is guiding cops during the search.
But there were many other clues which suggested Cannan was Mr Kipper long before this tip-off.
An important one was that he was given the nickname “Kipper” by others at a bail hostel where he lived at the time of the murder — due to his fondness for the fish and a habit of having a kip.
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He also bore a strong resemblance to the image of Suzy’s abductor compiled from witnesses, and when pressed by police, proved to have a false alibi for the day Lamplugh disappeared.
He 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 had approached her, but doubts later emerged over whether it was on the same day.
Lamplugh had also had a brief relationship in the past with a "mystery man", and police unearthed evidence which suggested Cannan was that man.
The real estate agent had said her boyfriend was a Bristol businessman — something Cannan had pretended to be with other women.
A witness also said they saw Cannan staring into Sturgis estate agents, where Suzy worked, shortly before her disappearance.
Another witness said she had seen the pair lying in a local park together with a bottle of champagne, and Cannan was known for showering women with gifts of flowers and bubbly.
A taxi driver backed up the story, identifying Cannan as a man who asked for a lift that lunchtime, while clutching champagne and estate agent house papers.
Cannan also joked to a former girlfriend, Gilly Paige, that he was Mr Kipper at one stage.
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.