UK UK - Suzy Lamplugh, 25, Fulham, 28 Jul 1986 #3

[asyousay]

This was because she couldn't remember the make and model of the interviewing detective's car, wasn't it?
I don't think that makes her "unreliable". Not everyone is interested in cars. I couldn't recognise most makes or models, but I would recognise one if it was a type of car I'd driven, or was otherwise familiar with.

Ok and also add in the fact nobody else saw the car at that spot for hours after she claimed. I think she saw a completely different car and it drove off at some point that afternoon and because she has zero knowledge of cars she got confused.

IMO

 

[Cluesleuth]

AS Book pg 52-53
BW was the first witness to report seeing Susannah who actually knew her and therefore was much less likely to be mistaken. She was a sound, sane, we educated professional woman.
The police checked with her colleagues thats she had indeed made the journey on the Monday and all confirmed she had

 

[Cluesleuth]

This was because she couldn't remember the make and model of the interviewing detective's car, wasn't it?
I don't think that makes her "unreliable". Not everyone is interested in cars. I couldn't recognise most makes or models, but I would recognise one if it was a type of car I'd driven, or was otherwise familiar with.

Wasnt that WJ in interview with DV?

 

[asyousay]

AS Book pg 52-53
BW was the first witness to report seeing Susannah who actually knew her and therefore was much less likely to be mistaken. She was a sound, sane, we educated professional woman.
The police checked with her colleagues thats she had indeed made the journey on the Monday and all confirmed she had

Thanks for the book quotes- I really appreciate it as it again shows I have zero reasons to doubt her. LE also believed her as we know

 

[Cherwell]

Wasnt that WJ in interview with DV?

Whoever it was. The point is the same.

 

[Cluesleuth]

Thanks for the book quotes- I really appreciate it as it again shows I have zero reasons to doubt her. LE also believed her as we know

I can understand why there is confusion due to the sighting of a Fiesta as early as 12.00 and 12.40 but it should be noted that neither WJ or AM or the taxi cab driver mentioned that they had seen the hat on the back sill neither did they mention it being parked askew.
WJ said that it was partly blocking the garage.
Both WJ and AM left for a visit to the bank and then to go shopping so they didnt return until some hours later.

The early sightings could be of a completely different fiesta they were a very popular car at the time.

SJls car could have been abandoned at anytime while WJ and AM were out shopping.

 

[WestLondoner]

I wholeheartedly agree with you

Yes, the sighting was not explained, it was explained away - which is rather different.

 

[Pinkizzy]

You are correct @asyousay

AS Book page 52
BW had come into the police station and given detectives some astonishing information.
The previous Monday she told detectives, she left her office some time after 2.30 in the afternoon. She was on her bike, and cycled from Munster road into Fulham palace rd thru Fulham Cemetry. And there driving north towards Hammersmith in a white Ford Fiesta with a straw boater on the back sill - who did she see but her old friend Sussanah Lamplugh.

This sounds like she was stationary and waiting to turn into Fulham Palace Rd from the cemetry - perpendicular to SJL's car and she can see the straw hat

 

[WestLondoner]

The CW reconstruction shows her heading past in the opposite direction. You do wonder how she saw a hat on the back parcel shelf if so.

 

[Crusader21]

IMO BW could have easily spotted the hat. As it's very noticeable / clearly visible through the side window ....

 

[WestLondoner]

IMO BW could have easily spotted the hat. As it's very noticeable / clearly visible through the side window ....

Her view would have been more like this though.

 

[Crusader21]

Her view would have been more like this though.

But surely as they bypassed each other, BW would have had the view of through the windscreen, and then right along the drivers side for the entire length of the car???

You can easily imagine viewing down from the slightly elevated height in to the side of the fiesta. IMO the hat would be obvious.

A view similar to that of the two cops in the pic would have had ....

 

[Whitehall 1212]

Her view would have been more like this though.

It wouldn't though, would it?

BW and the car were in different carriageways travelling towards each other, with the car offset to BW's right.

BW's view as she and the car drew closer would have predominantly been a combination of the front and offside of the car changing to a view of the offside of the car.

I'm not convinced that the straw boater would have so visible, other than through the rear window, necessitating BW to turn to look back, whilst cycling on a main road.

 

[Whitehall 1212]

But surely as they bypassed each other, BW would have had the view of through the windscreen, and then right along the drivers side for the entire length of the car???

You can easily imagine viewing down from the slightly elevated height in to the side of the fiesta. IMO the hat would be obvious.

A view similar to that of the two cops in the pic would have had ....

From the side the deep rear pillars would surely have obstructed the view of what was on the offside of the rear parcel shelf.

 

[asyousay]

I never realized before this thread that me being able to rotate my neck and look behind me was a special gift that nobody else could do

 

[Whitehall 1212]

I never realized before this thread that me being able to rotate my neck and look behind me was a special gift that nobody else could do

Revel in your talents. Apparently @WiseOwl has a similar contortion.

 

[Pinkizzy]

Revel in your talents. Apparently @WiseOwl has a similar contortion.

How do you know this about @WiseOwl?

BW would see SJL and the back of the fiesta if she was stationary and perpendicular to the road by the cemetery gate

 

[Whitehall 1212]

How do you know this about @WiseOwl?

It's just an assumption on the basis of @WiseOwl's strigiforme abilities.

BW would see SJL and the back of the fiesta if she was stationary and perpendicular to the road by the cemetery gate

BW was cycling south along Fulham Palace Road from the cemetery towards Putney.

 

[WestLondoner]

I never realized before this thread that me being able to rotate my neck and look behind me was a special gift that nobody else could do

LOL. Neck rotation skills are a rare blessing indeed, but of course you need to know there's something worth rotating your neck for....

The BW sighting is really interesting because police checked with colleagues to see if she had her day and time correct, and she did. This was a bit of a hole in the boat, as Dean Martin might say, because if she were in the FPR at 2.45, that could not have been her car outside 123SR at 12.45 as WJ claimed. It seems to have been something of an article of faith to the police that this was her car. The sighting was explained away by assuming that BW had made a mistake and had seen SJL on a different day.

I quite like the theory MB espoused in the original investigation - that SJL went straight to 123SR and got in someone else's car there. The obvious problems are that whether she took the 37SR keys or not she didn't take the 123SR keys, nor was she expected there, nor can BW have seen her later. However, as literally all theories have similar obvious problems, this is not grounds to dismiss this possibility...

 

[Cherwell]

It seems to boil down to two possibilities.
The car seen earlier in Stevenage Road was a different car. Coincidence, but not impossible.
It wasn't Suzy that BW saw, but someone who looked like her.