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

[rvlvr]

A big question for me is, how did police know Suzy’s belongings were at the Prince of Wales pub to begin with?

Of the Sturgis staff interviewed by DV only SF apparently remembered anything about Suzy’s lost belongings and even then her recollection was quite vague.

Even if staff were aware at the time that Suzy had lost her diary and chequebook, and even if they’d known they’d been located and that Suzy was going to retrieve them from a pub later that day, would they have known which one?

In my view it seems very unlikely. As I said in one of my replies to AG, MG was looking for Suzy from mid-afternoon onwards but he never paid a visit to the pub, so evidently none of his staff made him aware of any of this, most likely because they didn’t know. So what led police to the Prince of Wales?

 

[rvlvr]

To add to this, police weren’t notified that Suzy was missing until 6.45pm. So if a call was made to the pub from a ‘policeman’ prior to that point, it couldn’t have been legit?

 

[kes1972]

Just a question to the wise, did jc have any links to the taunton area? Did gp have any links to the same area?
Many thanks all.

 

[kes1972]

A big question for me is, how did police know Suzy’s belongings were at the Prince of Wales pub to begin with?

Of the Sturgis staff interviewed by DV only SF apparently remembered anything about Suzy’s lost belongings and even then her recollection was quite vague.

Even if staff were aware at the time that Suzy had lost her diary and chequebook, and even if they’d known they’d been located and that Suzy was going to retrieve them from a pub later that day, would they have known which one?

In my view it seems very unlikely. As I said in one of my replies to AG, MG was looking for Suzy from mid-afternoon onwards but he never paid a visit to the pub, so evidently none of his staff made him aware of any of this, most likely because they didn’t know. So what led police to the Prince of Wales?

So sl had arranged to collect her lost items after being informed by the bank with a call to her office, but no work colleagues knew of this? If they did them mg first thought after checking sr would have been to check the pow.with this not happening i find it hard to believe any colleagues knew of her bank call but it is stated she came into work and spoke of the lost items. So this must have happened when mg was out with the big boss and others were out of the office too.

 

[kes1972]

So sl had arranged to collect her lost items after being informed by the bank with a call to her office, but no work colleagues knew of this? If they did them mg first thought after checking sr would have been to check the pow.with this not happening i find it hard to believe any colleagues knew of her bank call but it is stated she came into work and spoke of the lost items. So this must have happened when mg was out with the big boss and others were out of the office too.

What i am saying is sl is missing mg is searching and no one mentions the pow, something does not add up there. More questions need to be asked and answered by staff

 

[rvlvr]

What i am saying is sl is missing mg is searching and no one mentions the pow, something does not add up there. More questions need to be asked and answered by staff

Agreed. According to AS (see my post below), MG went to 37SR twice to look for Suzy that afternoon. Between visits, he called Suzy’s parents’ home and also phoned local hospitals. He also visited the local police station to report Suzy missing but left as it was too busy and he had an appointment to keep. But he didn’t visit the pub - if someone at Sturgis knew Suzy was planning to visit the Prince of Wales that day, they evidently didn’t make MG aware of it. But I think it’s more plausible that they just didn’t know. It seems unlikely therefore that they tipped off police about the pub or that they were the source of the calls made to the pub that day. So who did tip off the police and who made the calls?

R

UK Post in thread 'UK - Suzy Lamplugh, 25, Fulham, 28 Jul 1986 #7'

Aug 11, 2025

I think it’s unlikely too but having read AS’s book again it’s very difficult to work out precisely what MG saw and did, and when.

“The estate agent manager”, we’re told on page 6 - and by ‘manager’ AS means MG - “remembered Susannah coming behind his desk to pick up the keys [to 37SR]”, yet on page 78 we’re told that, that lunchtime, MG was in “the Crocodile Tears wine bar … with colleagues from other Sturgis offices.” Was MG in the office when she left, or not?

On page 8, when Suzy hasn’t returned after lunch, we’re told that MG went to 37SR and “found no sign of Susannah in or out of...

• rvlvr

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[Kasparthecat1]

On AL & pub discrepancies & other boyfriends. Apparently the Lamplughs had asked them to sign NDAs. Just to factor that in too if makes any odds.

A big question for me is, how did police know Suzy’s belongings were at the Prince of Wales pub to begin with?

Of the Sturgis staff interviewed by DV only SF apparently remembered anything about Suzy’s lost belongings and even then her recollection was quite vague.

Even if staff were aware at the time that Suzy had lost her diary and chequebook, and even if they’d known they’d been located and that Suzy was going to retrieve them from a pub later that day, would they have known which one?

In my view it seems very unlikely. As I said in one of my replies to AG, MG was looking for Suzy from mid-afternoon onwards but he never paid a visit to the pub, so evidently none of his staff made him aware of any of this, most likely because they didn’t know. So what led police to the Prince of Wales?

Perhaps a guess mixed in with something I may have read - but wasn't it Stephanie Flower? Perhaps overheard on phone.

Also not clear whether MG was still in office at that point, together with Calvert and maybe others?

If Sjl was overheard making arrangements for 6/ 6ish Perhaps not deemed important/relevant. Also absence did not seem to be an issue until later in the afternoon (can't recall what time MG returned from Crocodile Tears - do we know? )

 

[Robbie64]

A big question for me is, how did police know Suzy’s belongings were at the Prince of Wales pub to begin with?

Of the Sturgis staff interviewed by DV only SF apparently remembered anything about Suzy’s lost belongings and even then her recollection was quite vague.

Even if staff were aware at the time that Suzy had lost her diary and chequebook, and even if they’d known they’d been located and that Suzy was going to retrieve them from a pub later that day, would they have known which one?

In my view it seems very unlikely. As I said in one of my replies to AG, MG was looking for Suzy from mid-afternoon onwards but he never paid a visit to the pub, so evidently none of his staff made him aware of any of this, most likely because they didn’t know. So what led police to the Prince of Wales?

What would you class as mid afternoon? The pub would have been closed between 3pm and most likely 5.30pm (all day opening wasn't inroduced until August 1988).

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

To add to this, police weren’t notified that Suzy was missing until 6.45pm. So if a call was made to the pub from a ‘policeman’ prior to that point, it couldn’t have been legit?

Exactly.

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

Perhaps a guess mixed in with something I may have read - but wasn't it Stephanie Flower? Perhaps overheard on phone.

Also not clear whether MG was still in office at that point, together with Calvert and maybe others?

If Sjl was overheard making arrangements for 6/ 6ish Perhaps not deemed important/relevant. Also absence did not seem to be an issue until later in the afternoon (can't recall what time MG returned from Crocodile Tears - do we know? )

On the pub & lost belongings ‘AS’ tells us SL was ‘preoccupied’ that morning cancelling chequebook & later, when she knew where possessions were, arranging to collect from POW. Last calls included one with KH’s wife to this end. SF knew of lost possessions at time in office & no doubt others did too. A lost chequebook a bigger deal then than now not to mention contacts needed sooner rather than later…This is how police knew & ofc bank knew.

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

@rvlvr KH had called SL’s bank, from memory, too. He looked for a name and address in diary/contacts & said found none so called her bank. Midland, I think it was.

 

[rvlvr]

What would you class as mid afternoon? The pub would have been closed between 3pm and most likely 5.30pm (all day opening wasn't inroduced until August 1988).

Very true. Surely you pay a visit to the pub after it reopens before calling police, though? MG supposedly couldn’t search inside 37SR due to lack of keys yet apparently visited twice, presumably on the off chance of seeing her outside, seeing her car in the street, etc. No one thought to do the same at the Prince of Wales? Even a closed pub will open its doors if you bang on them.

DV’s research seemed to show that even police themselves weren’t entirely sure how the pub came up on their radar. It may or may not be pertinent to the case, ultimately. But it does seem like a peculiar loose end, to me.

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

Very true. Surely you pay a visit to the pub after it reopens before calling police, though? MG supposedly couldn’t search inside 37SR due to lack of keys yet apparently visited twice, presumably on the off chance of seeing her outside, seeing her car in the street, etc. No one thought to do the same at the Prince of Wales? Even a closed pub will open its doors if you bang on them.

DV’s research seemed to show that even police themselves weren’t entirely sure how the pub came up on their radar. It may or may not be pertinent to the case, ultimately. But it does seem like a peculiar loose end, to me.

KH called Midland to say he’d found chequebook etc & eventually wheels turned as they - Midland - called SL at work we know, that morning. So bank knew KH had chequebook at POW.

 

[Konstantin]

KH called Midland to say he’d found chequebook etc & eventually wheels turned as they - Midland - called SL at work we know, that morning. So bank knew KH had chequebook at POW.

If she was preoccupied with it that morning and making phone calls, and she was having cig breaks with her colleagues, it's something they would have noticed and she told them about, since SF knew about it. It's a few phone calls. The Midland Bank called her, told her where the items were. She called directory enquiries one presumes to get the number for the pub. She calls the pub. The pub called her back it seems. The bank might not have told her about her diary, as why should they care, their business is the chequebook. She might even have called her branch independently of all this to cancel the chequebook and see if any cheques used since she lost it (you'd be far more worried about this if you lost it on Friday night as people did use stolen cheques!).

Anyway, in an open plan office that sort of conversation gets noticed and she was friendly with her colleagues so she'd not hide it from them or be cagey.

If she lost on Friday night, you'd think she'd go to the branch as a priority on Saturday to cancel the chequebook or someone could have a spending spree using the cheques! Would you risk that just to go to a party or whatever? You'd surely realise you'd lost the diary on the Saturday morning.

MG prob didn't drive to the pub as he might not know which one it was (easy for police to find out with call to Midland) or it was just too far, or he thought she'd just gone to Shorrolds because she said she did.

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

A theory…

If Kipper JC, before things took a turn SL flagged chequebook at POW & cancelled possibly. She may have owed a deal down payment & mentioned in passing. Known due there later.

He frogmarches her to *phone box near ‘Galway’ sighting & ‘right ruck’ ensues -.about time of call/s to pub. 2pm ish. It’s some form of buying time/alibi re: his MO on SB. BUT SL deviates from script, unlike SB, & tries to provide a clue by calling herself Sarah etc - best friend NOT herself. It WAS thought this was possible at time. They checked all Sarah contacts & asked around. Phoney policeman call attempt by JC to rectify or this is KH confusion (?)

*phone boxes had phone books in them in 80s so a POW look up poss on phone number. I think JC poss did on SB as didn’t come through to her dept but the accounts/wages dept poss as listed in book.

He couldn’t trust her perhaps to call work number direct as who wouldn’t try to call friend etc to raise alarm instead (?) ‘Hello is that WORK?’ (Calling partner).

In not doing as told SL unfortunately then sealed fate.

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

If she was preoccupied with it that morning and making phone calls, and she was having cig breaks with her colleagues, it's something they would have noticed and she told them about, since SF knew about it. It's a few phone calls. The Midland Bank called her, told her where the items were. She called directory enquiries one presumes to get the number for the pub. She calls the pub. The pub called her back it seems. The bank might not have told her about her diary, as why should they care, their business is the chequebook. She might even have called her branch independently of all this to cancel the chequebook and see if any cheques used since she lost it (you'd be far more worried about this if you lost it on Friday night as people did use stolen cheques!).

Anyway, in an open plan office that sort of conversation gets noticed and she was friendly with her colleagues so she'd not hide it from them or be cagey.

If she lost on Friday night, you'd think she'd go to the branch as a priority on Saturday to cancel the chequebook or someone could have a spending spree using the cheques! Would you risk that just to go to a party or whatever? You'd surely realise you'd lost the diary on the Saturday morning.

MG prob didn't drive to the pub as he might not know which one it was (easy for police to find out with call to Midland) or it was just too far, or he thought she'd just gone to Shorrolds because she said she did.

Absolutely AND KH couldn’t find her things & place on top of metre box in pub for safe keeping on Fri as he wasn’t at pub until Sunday eve.

 

[su5ie]

article says a mystery man would stand in the shadows watching SL play tennis. i take it they mean in the months/weeks before SL disappeared, but this cant be JC because he was still in custody at the scrubs release hostel.

Interestingly I recall suzy was supposedly meant to go play tennis the evening of the day she disappeared

 

[Konstantin]

A theory…

If Kipper JC, before things took a turn SL flagged chequebook at POW & cancelled possibly. She may have owed a deal down payment & mentioned in passing. Known due there later.

He frogmarches her to *phone box near ‘Galway’ sighting & ‘right ruck’ ensues -.about time of call/s to pub. 2pm ish. It’s some form of buying time/alibi re: his MO on SB. BUT SL deviates from script, unlike SB, & tries to provide a clue by calling herself Sarah etc - best friend NOT herself. It WAS thought this was possible at time. They checked all Sarah contacts & asked around. Phoney policeman call attempt by JC to rectify or this is KH confusion (?)

*phone boxes had phone books in them in 80s so a POW look up poss on phone number. I think JC poss did on SB as didn’t come through to her dept but the accounts/wages dept poss as listed in book.

He couldn’t trust her perhaps to call work number direct as who wouldn’t try to call friend etc to raise alarm instead (?) ‘Hello is that WORK?’ (Calling partner).

In not doing as told SL unfortunately then sealed fate.

KH told the police at the time about the phone calls, he says, and they just lost the details. I believe him because that would be a weird and pointless lie to tell.

It's possible the police didn't ask all her Sarah friends because she had a compartmentalised life and this friend wasn't part of her other circles. We don't know who she was on the phone to just before she left. Maybe she did plan to go by the pub that lunchtime after her Kipper appointment, or go with him to get the stuff, if she needed her diary for phone numbers. The chequebook presumably cancelled so useless?

 

[Lady Stoddart-West]

KH told the police at the time about the phone calls, he says, and they just lost the details. I believe him because that would be a weird and pointless lie to tell.

It's possible the police didn't ask all her Sarah friends because she had a compartmentalised life and this friend wasn't part of her other circles. We don't know who she was on the phone to just before she left. Maybe she did plan to go by the pub that lunchtime after her Kipper appointment, or go with him to get the stuff, if she needed her diary for phone numbers. The chequebook presumably cancelled so useless?

Agree on KH although police felt he was poss mistaken on whole episode (?) I don’t think the pub ever socially on map for SL. A Sarah could have been missed but police had contact book too which may have been key to any ‘other life’. No one came forward too if known enough.

If Kipper JC & flagging need for money she might have flagged pub saga so he knew expected there later. It’s interesting police thought this call potentially WAS SL at time & poss a plea for help & 3 months later we have a a similar situation unfolding with SB & JC.

That last call, I agree, important.

 

[lee sumner]

I find the dating video particularly unnerving.

There's a point in the video when he produces a big "smile" as he's looking down as his paperwork, before he looks up and looks at the woman talking to him.
But if you play the video in slow motion; frame by frame, his "smile" gradually turns into a look that reveals his true self.

His smile fades and his mouth tightens, and at the same time, his eyes widen and his countenance becomes momentarily fixated on the woman.

A look of pure evil washes over his face, but it only lasts momentarily, as though at that exact moment he was imagining ending her life... before his mask then reappears and he goes back to the smiley guy looking for a date.

That video captures his true self, but only for a moment before it's gone.

Check the video and you should be able to see what I mean.

re, dating video. JC comes across creepy in my opinion.