19 January 2024 , 07:00
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The family of a missing sailor say they hope the latest search for his body will finally give them the answers they crave.
Detectives are digging up a car park in Gibraltar as part of a probe into the disappearance of Able Seaman Simon Parkes, 18, who went missing 37 years ago, following a new line of inquiry. The Royal Navy sailor was last seen in December 1986 when the ship he was serving on, HMS Illustrious, was docked in the British territory.
He is thought to have been murdered by the so-called 'Frankenstein serial killer' Royal Navy Petty Officer Allan Grimson, who was serving on the aircraft carrier and who may have killed up to 20 men. Grimson was jailed for life in 2001 for the murder of two young men but is up for parole next month.
Simon’s mum, Margaret Parkes, 78, who has never given up hope of finding her son, said: “We’ve gone through quite a few of these over the years and we just hope something will be found this time but have to be careful not to be too disappointed if it’s not. I know Grimson is up for parole but in my opinion he is a very dangerous man and should never be released.”
The streets are being dug up in Gibraltar (RICHARD ATKINS/SOLARPIX.COM)
Police look for clues in Gibraltar car park yesterday (RICHARD ATKINS/SOLARPIX.COM)Margaret and her husband David, from Bristol, also lost Simon’s older brother Derek, 37, to a brain aneurysm in 2000. She said: “It’s been 37 years now, we have coped with great difficulty. You always have the hope he could send a letter or just knock at the door one day. At the beginning, the Navy thought Simon had gone AWOL so for 13 or 14 years we didn’t have any support or information.
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It wasn’t until the conviction of Grimson that there was found to be a link with Simon. Simon was just a typical 18-year-old who was full of life, he did not have any enemies and everyone liked him. It is time for answers now.”
Missing Simon Parkes was a 'typical 18-year-old' (Margaret Parkes)Grimson killed sailor Nicholas Wright, 18, from Leicestershire, in 1997. A year later, he murdered barman Sion Jenkins, 20, from Newbury, Berkshire. He battered both men with a baseball bat after luring them to his flat.
Grimson, 66, served around the world on Illustrious and the destroyer HMS Edinburgh. He is also said to have used a Manchester United season ticket as cover to travel the country.
Convicted killer Allan Grimson (Hampshire Police / PA)
Simon Parkes' family are still waiting for answers (Margaret Parkes)One former colleague said: “He never actually went to games. He would seek out young homeless boys in different cities.”
Yesterday, detectives continued to dig by the Town Range car park and the Rock on the Rock Club in Gibraltar.