UK UK - Suzy Lamplugh, 25, Fulham, 28 Jul 1986 #8

[Konstantin]

We have RT saying he saw a BMW - it was navy blue -in Shorrolds Rd

The article said the superhire ones were blue. This is probably indeed why JD so confident. It's definitely interesting. But what then is the sequence with the cars. Did she drive to Stevenage and he drove her up to Shorrolds? But how did they end up back in the fiesta later? He drives them back to Stevenage, they go to lunch in the fiesta?

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

Agreed. I’ve thought this for a very long time. DL while well intentioned was a hindrance right from the off imo. Behaved incredibly savvily at times, but at what cost?



Indeed. But also I find it curious that right from the off it’s being suggested by those who knew Suzy that this story was more than mere ‘man posing as house-buyer abducts estate agent’. Take NB, who says: “I feel sure that the man must have met Susie sometime before abducting her.” While in a separate story her friends were said to be compiling lists of guests at recent parties, in case ‘Kipper’ had been in attendance. Perhaps imaginations were simply going into overdrive in those early, frenetic days, but it suggests to me the flatmate and friends had reason to suspect this was more than a simple house viewing gone wrong. There was evidently a lot going on in this woman’s life and I’d be surprised if her nearest and dearest even knew the half of it.

Unfortunately AS did know the half of it - I see him as a bit of an Andrew Lownie of his time. I come back to the ‘contacts’ & the ‘calls’ to flat NB flagged & SL’s ex flatmate - from ‘another group of friends’. These needed to be bottomed out - AL saw it as ‘muck raking’.

 

[WestLondoner]

On JD saying JC had access to a BMW in July 86, was this via the hire firm that is flagged in article upthread? It said JC worked there part time & had access to BMWs!

This is astonishing if true. I've never heard of JC having a job at a car hire, firm, only a prop hire firm.

The article said the superhire ones were blue. This is probably indeed why JD so confident.

Are we sure Superhire also hired cars? Their website says they've been in the business of hiring out furniture, art, plants etc as props for 50 years. Cars aren't mentioned. If not, where did JC get the time to hold down two part-time jobs while on day release?

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

This is astonishing if true. I've never heard of JC having a job at a car hire, firm, only a prop hire firm.

Are we sure Superhire also hired cars? Their website says they've been in the business of hiring out furniture, art, plants etc as props for 50 years. Cars aren't mentioned. If not, where did JC get the time to hold down two part-time jobs while on day release?

Quite, but they were taking all the forensics very seriously & checking time sheets. The car hire firm not named. If article accurate…Wow!

All the best evidence for JC seems to get lost ironically & the frankly ridiculous flagged.

 

[Konstantin]

This is astonishing if true. I've never heard of JC having a job at a car hire, firm, only a prop hire firm.

Are we sure Superhire also hired cars? Their website says they've been in the business of hiring out furniture, art, plants etc as props for 50 years. Cars aren't mentioned. If not, where did JC get the time to hold down two part-time jobs while on day release?

I thought it meant the prop hire firm had cars. I was astonished because I hadn't heard that before

 

[WestLondoner]

I thought it meant the prop hire firm had cars. I was astonished because I hadn't heard that before

Ditto. I suspect a crossing of lines somewhere.

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

I thought it meant the prop hire firm had cars. I was astonished because I hadn't heard that before

Right no, a separate hire company.

Interestingly, CBD in Prime Suspect says JC was fired from Prop hire company at some point which doesn’t fit re: DV research & JC’s various buddies interviewed in docs from the company. It might be poss he had a break & went there to car hire firm or had very brief stint or flirtation with it.

He’d written to the Jack Barclay showroom in Mayfair after a job from the scrubs & to other prestige dealerships. He made things up too on his CV & lies of omission.

 

[kes1972]

Cannan was still using that car when he was nicked, so the connection was easily made.

The thing is, as LSW has noted, there's no evidence he was using a BMW at all in July 1986. JD has asserted that he is "personally confident that Cannan had access to a BMW" at that time. Whatever weight you attach to that, it's only relevant if you assume Cannan was the driver of the BMW that the jogger saw. If so, then you need to make the evidence fit the hypothesis by showing he had a BMW. And suddenly JD is convinced he had a BMW.

My concern is that had someone looking like SJL screaming / laughing been seen in the Noddy car, JC would have been fitted up with having owned one of those instead. His supposed 1986 BMW was registered to someone somewhere - why was it never identified if it existed?

Strange to think after all these years people are still trying to connect jc to this, the only facts are pow had her personal items and had spoken to her that day, need i say more.

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

Strange to think after all these years people are still trying to connect jc to this, the only facts are pow had her personal items and had spoken to her that day, need i say more.

I think JC’s 5 nights in wilderness - no solid alibi - one big issue. His sister & own brother & nephew all certain, totally certain of his guilt. Yet, he later used them as posthumous alibis. Convenient. His nephew, still alive, still certain of JC’s guilt. Someone he said saw him in Birmingham in timeframe says otherwise etc.

SA - a very respected DI - interviewing too - really thought all too coincidental until he too, was totally convinced. Why?

Barley certain he confessed & he was there, party to more, we weren’t.

Looping in mini driver as SL’s killer too when on ropes in interview. Not showboating here.

Denying he knew where Fulham was & saying he’d never been. Seems unlikely. Yet adamant.

If it turns out he ever moonlit in a hire car place in Fulham at right time & had access to BMWs…Article upthread suggests he was.

If it’s ever solidly proven he went to the POW or Croc Tears as has been said - I doubt it personally. Especially POW.

Why the police didn’t track his financial/bank records I don’t know - perhaps they did but inconclusive. His cash withdrawals helped convict him for DT rape & SB murder.

Mystery deal/business partner? He had the £ to be convincing in short term & form with AR.

Being seen looking into E Agent window & dropped off in a taxi at Shorrolds - no proof.

Car plates on SB mini leave me less than convinced - others are.

In that Doc ‘The Man Who Killed SL’ an ‘uptown girl called Su Su’ is mentioned by Superhire buddy - AL - there’s an article I found on her/a reference - NOT SL as suggested.

Also, SL’s DNA was not proven in any way to be in the red sierra.

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

On Superhire…weird burst of criminal activity only when JC was there, netting ££ for thieves!

Will you find reports of other break ins in other years in 80s outside of JC time? No.

18 July 1986 thieves/thief went on a spree. 18 July 1986 - week before JC left - last hurrah? - Letting off all fire extinguishers & stealing ££ tools.

13 June 86 - in run up to local Arabia huge exhibition where someone unknown took SL on a private preview - someone made off with “an unexpected haul of - 10k’s worth - of Persian rugs”.