Prime suspect in estate agent’s murder dies in jail from apparent ‘aneurysm’
The prime suspect in the disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh died in prison as a result of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, an inquest has heard.
John Cannan was jailed in 1989 for the rape and murder of Bristol newlywed Shirley Banks.
He later became the prime suspect in the murder of 25-year-old Suzy Lamplugh.
The estate agent, from London, vanished in 1986. Her body has never been found.
Cannan died at the age of 70 in HMP Full Sutton, in East Yorkshire, on November 6.
An inquest into Cannan’s death was opened and adjourned on Friday at Hull Coroner’s Court in a five-minute hearing.
Cannan remained the prime suspect in the killing of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh (Picture: SWNS)
Area coroner for Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire, Lorraine Harris, said she had a received a statement from the prison confirming Cannan’s identity and containing details of how he was found, which were not read out.
Ms Harris told the hearing that the cause of death was a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.
According to the NHS website, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, sometimes referred to as a Triple A, is a swelling in the artery that carries blood from the heart to the abdomen.
The coroner said she will be requesting various pieces of information from the prison, which houses Category A and B inmates, and she adjourned the hearing to a date to be fixed.
No family were present in court for the brief hearing, which was attended only by journalists and court staff.
Cannan was jailed for a minimum of 35 years for the rape and murder of Mrs Banks, along with a further sexual offence, an attempted kidnapping and two offences of abduction with intent to engage in unlawful sexual intercourse.
Mrs Banks was 29 when she was abducted by Cannan after she had set out on a shopping trip in Bristol.
Her body was later found in a stream in the Quantock Hills in Somerset.
In 2002 Cannan was named as the prime suspect in the 1986 disappearance of estate agent Ms Lamplugh, which he denied.
Ms Lamplugh was declared dead, presumed murdered, after going missing in July 1986 at the age of 25.
She left her west London offices to meet a mystery client known only as “Mr Kipper” for a flat viewing and was never seen again.
Her car, a white Ford Fiesta, was found abandoned in Stevenage Road, Fulham, and police believe she was abducted and murdered.
Cannan was questioned in prison in connection with the incident but no charges were ever brought.
Convicted killer John Cannan died in custody while serving a minimum of 35 years for murdering and raping newlywed Shirley Banks in 1989 (Picture: SWNS)
In 2018, police carried out excavations at Cannan’s mother’s former home in Sutton Coldfield but nothing was found.
In October of last year the parole board found he was too dangerous to release
The panel heard that Cannan still insisted that he was innocent and had not engaged in any accredited programmes to address the risk of reoffending while in jail.
After Cannan’s death, Ms Lamplugh’s brother said his family will never get closure.
Richard Lamplugh, 64, said he was ‘not mourning John Cannan’ but had been left instead mourning the ‘loss of him ever giving us closure’.
He told The Telegraph: ‘It’s really sad that my folks weren’t around to even find out where he buried her.
‘We would dearly love to be able to find Suzy’s body and to scatter her ashes where my parents’ ashes are scattered.’
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