Police Dismiss Brentford Link in Suzy Lamplugh Case
Canal where man had been seen disposing of bag had already been searched
Suzy Lamplugh
Detectives investigating the disappearance and murder of Suzi Lamplugh in 1986 have dismissed a link to the Brentford area.
In August 2019 the Specialist Casework Team working on the case received a report from a witness, a lorry driver, who said he saw the prime suspect in the investigation, John Cannan, throwing a suitcase into the Grand Union Canal in Brentford three days after the estate agent vanished. Cannan was reportedly seen wheeling a trolley and then running away when it had been deposited in the water.
This was treated as a new line of enquiry, but it has been found that the part of the canal mentioned by the witness and the surrounding canal stretches had been extensively searched by the Met’s Marine Support Unit and London Fire Brigade Search Unit in September 2014. This search was conducted following an unrelated homicide investigation and no items were recovered which were connected to the Suzy Lamplugh investigation and the line of enquiry was closed.
On July 28 1986 Ms Lamplugh left her estate agency office in Fulham, at 12.40pm to meet a client called Mr Kipper. At 10pm, her white Ford Fiesta is discovered in Stevenage Road, Fulham.
Suzy is presumed dead, and is believed to have been abducted and murdered. Her body has never been found. More than 34 years have passed, and the police investigation into Suzy’s disappearance is still active with detectives from the Met’s Specialist Casework Team, part of Central Specialist Crime, continuing to pursue leads.
Cannan was jailed for 35 years in 1989 for the rape and murder of 29-year-old Shirley Banks in Bristol. 66-year-old Cannan is currently serving three life sentences at Full Sutton Prison but has never been charged in connection with Ms Lamplugh's murder.
A man was arrested in December 2000 and questioned, and a file was later submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service. However, it was decided that there was insufficient evidence to support a prosecution.
Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Reeves, the senior investigating officer, said: “We would urge anyone who believes they might know something about what happened to Suzy all those years ago to come forward. Whether you saw something that you thought was unconnected at the time, or you felt under pressure to protect someone you knew – it is not too late.
“The passage of time has not weakened our determination to seek justice and get the answers that the Lamplugh family continue to wait for. They have always been supportive of our efforts to make progress in the investigation, and they have shown remarkable strength despite the immense sadness they have endured over the years.”
Click here if you have any information or images which may assist the investigation.
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March 17, 2021