UK UK - Suzy Lamplugh, 25, Fulham, 28 July 1986

[WiseOwl]

Another scenario I have thought of (not involving Clive the acting landlord) is this:

Suzi's car being parked in Stevenage Road has always caused great confusion, mainly because of the witness Wendy Jones. She lived opposite to where Suzi's car was found, and said at the time Suzi's car had been parked there from 12.45pm at least. This couldn't be true because Suzi only left her office around this time but the police believed her and went with this narrative. They seemed to think that she had parked her car there and then had got into someone else's car on the same road. However, these days Wendy doesn't think it was Suzi's car, and it might not have been there at all.

There were two workman who were working on Stevenage Road that day between 9am - 4pm, and they both said they never saw any car matching Suzy's being parked on Stevenage Road while they were there. If this is true it would mean that whoever parked Suzy's car in Stevenage Road did it between 4 - 10pm. Also, it would bring Suzy's friend Barbara Whitfield's account into play, she had seen Suzy driving away from Putney in her white Ford Fiesta sitting next to a man. This sighting was placed between 2.30 - 2.45pm.

So if the Mr Kipper/Shorrolds Road entry in her diary was false, was she meeting this man at lunchtime instead? Who could he be? Why would she still be with him two hours after she left the office? And, if this mystery man was responsible for Suzy's disappearance, why park Suzy's car in Stevenage Road that evening?

 

[Pinkizzy]

Another scenario I have thought of (not involving Clive the acting landlord) is this:

Suzi's car being parked in Stevenage Road has always caused great confusion, mainly because of the witness Wendy Jones. She lived opposite to where Suzi's car was found, and said at the time Suzi's car had been parked there from 12.45pm at least. This couldn't be true because Suzi only left her office around this time but the police believed her and went with this narrative. They seemed to think that she had parked her car there and then had got into someone else's car on the same road. However, these days Wendy doesn't think it was Suzi's car, and it might not have been there at all.

There were two workman who were working on Stevenage Road that day between 9am - 4pm, and they both said they never saw any car matching Suzy's being parked on Stevenage Road while they were there. If this is true it would mean that whoever parked Suzy's car in Stevenage Road did it between 4 - 10pm. Also, it would bring Suzy's friend Barbara Whitfield's account into play, she had seen Suzy driving away from Putney in her white Ford Fiesta sitting next to a man. This sighting was placed between 2.30 - 2.45pm.

So if the Mr Kipper/Shorrolds Road entry in her diary was false, was she meeting this man at lunchtime instead? Who could he be? Why would she still be with him two hours after she left the office? And, if this mystery man was responsible for Suzy's disappearance, why park Suzy's car in Stevenage Road that evening?

That's an interesting point re the workmen - the white fiesta was parked after they had finished work. Who knows where Suzy went with the male passenger

 

[Bickles]

Another scenario I have thought of (not involving Clive the acting landlord) is this:

Suzi's car being parked in Stevenage Road has always caused great confusion, mainly because of the witness Wendy Jones. She lived opposite to where Suzi's car was found, and said at the time Suzi's car had been parked there from 12.45pm at least. This couldn't be true because Suzi only left her office around this time but the police believed her and went with this narrative. They seemed to think that she had parked her car there and then had got into someone else's car on the same road. However, these days Wendy doesn't think it was Suzi's car, and it might not have been there at all.

There were two workman who were working on Stevenage Road that day between 9am - 4pm, and they both said they never saw any car matching Suzy's being parked on Stevenage Road while they were there. If this is true it would mean that whoever parked Suzy's car in Stevenage Road did it between 4 - 10pm. Also, it would bring Suzy's friend Barbara Whitfield's account into play, she had seen Suzy driving away from Putney in her white Ford Fiesta sitting next to a man. This sighting was placed between 2.30 - 2.45pm.

So if the Mr Kipper/Shorrolds Road entry in her diary was false, was she meeting this man at lunchtime instead? Who could he be? Why would she still be with him two hours after she left the office? And, if this mystery man was responsible for Suzy's disappearance, why park Suzy's car in Stevenage Road that evening?

I am reading DV's book now and it struck me that WJ was not the most reliable witness, afterall she knew DV had parked across her drive but got the colour and make of his car wrong! I think SL's car was parked opposite her house later than originally thought and I wonder if the person responsible for SL's disappearance has parked it there because they happened to find a home for sale with Sturgis (WJ's) while looking for a suitable place to dump the car.

 

[WiseOwl]

That's an interesting point re the workmen - the white fiesta was parked after they had finished work. Who knows where Suzy went with the male passenger

It's a shame the police went with Wendy's account rather than the two workmen, but it fitted in with their narrative at the time of Suzy meeting Mr Kipper at Shorrolds Road.

 

[WiseOwl]

I am reading DV's book now and it struck me that WJ was not the most reliable witness, afterall she knew DV had parked across her drive but got the colour and make of his car wrong! I think SL's car was parked opposite her house later than originally thought and I wonder if the person responsible for SL's disappearance has parked it there because they happened to find a home for sale with Sturgis (WJ's) while looking for a suitable place to dump the car.

Yes it's possible they parked the car in Stevenage Road to throw the police off the scent, although I would presume that WJ's house wasn't the only one in the area with a Sturgis for sale sign outside.

Maybe they had parked their own car near to Stevenage Road earlier in the day when they met Suzy at lunchtime, and that's why they left it there later on?

 

[Pinkizzy]

It's a shame the police went with Wendy's account rather than the two workmen, but it fitted in with their narrative at the time of Suzy meeting Mr Kipper at Shorrolds Road.

They believed Harry Riglins eye witness account (Mr Kipper + Suzy) until a few years ago.

There were 2 Sturgis houses for sale in Suzys diary - Wardo and Waldemar. The white fiesta could have been left there however, Stevenage is a quiet road.

 

[Terryb808]

I’ve read the Stephen book written just after Suzy disappeared, he had access to the police files and this book is a very good reference. DV’s book follows a timeline of events that triggered her disappearance and he bases this on all the research materials available and his reinterviews of the witnesses.
DV reveals that Wendy J is not a solid witness when it comes to Suzy’s car being parked in Stevenage Road. Depending on who you believe children said it was there at 3.00pm, the workman said it was not there at 4.00pm, they were the closest, but unless something unusual happened why would they notice it being parked.
Based on DV’s book and narrative it’s likely Suzy’s car was abandoned around 3.00pm.
You need to ask one question, if the work men are correct and Barbara W is correct and the man in Suzy car going towards Hammersmith was JC (the polices prime suspect). Why drive her car back to Stevenage Road? After all he’s an opportunistic criminal and could have abandoned her car anywhere, he had no way of knowing just how much media attention Suzy’s disappearance would generate.
It’s my view DV has generally eliminated JC, that’s why the attention now seems to have moved across to Steve Wright.
Isn’t it a coincidence that the focus moves from one convicted killer to another and the Met seem to have ignored DV’s file, they did say in the media they’d leave no stone unturned.
Don’t you think they should at the very least turn DV’s stone over and see what’s hiding underneath?

 

[WiseOwl]

I have just re-watched the Crimewatch episode from 1986 featuring Suzy's case. As we know, Suzy's car was parked in Stevenage Road slightly over the driveway to a garage. I must of missed it before but in the show the owner of the garage said he noticed the car when he got home from work that day and parked his car in the garage - the time was 5.15pm.

So which of the following sightings that afternoon are true?

Neighbour Wendy's sighting at 12.45.

A taxi driver who said he saw the car parked around 2.00.

Children who saw it there at 3.00.

OR The workmen who left at 4.00 and didn't see it parked there at all.

NOT FORGETTING friend Barbara who saw Suzy with a man in her car driving on the Fulham Palace road towards Hammersmith around 2.30/2.45.

AND FINALLY the garage owner who saw it as he arrived home at 5.15.

 

[Commoner]

I would have thought that the person who abandoned the car would have chosen that area because:

a) the car (a very common model and colour) would not have attracted attention when it was driven about
b) Suzy was meant to have appointments in that area
c) car apparently remaining in that area gives no pointers on where else it might have been

JMO

I am very surprised that nothing useful was ever retrieved from the inside of the car, given that a second person was seen in it, and that someone had pushed the seat back and presumable drove with it in that position. Or is it simply the case that so many people were driven round by estate agents between viewings that you'd never be able to pick the useful out of all the rest?

 

[WiseOwl]

I wonder if the reason why Suzi's car was left on Stevenage Road is a fairly simple one - maybe 'Mr Kipper' had parked his own car there earlier that day if he met Suzy at lunchtime? If that was the case then perhaps that's why he drove back to Stevenage Road in Suzy's car that afternoon - to collect his own car.

Is it even possible that it was his car that was parked next to the garage driveway earlier that day, so causing the confusion that followed over whether it was Suzi's car that was parked there when all along it was 'Mr Kipper's' car? This could explain WJ's version of a car having been parked in that spot since 12.45 that day.

 

[Officer Dibble]

I wonder if the reason why Suzi's car was left on Stevenage Road is a fairly simple one - maybe 'Mr Kipper' had parked his own car there earlier that day if he met Suzy at lunchtime? If that was the case then perhaps that's why he drove back to Stevenage Road in Suzy's car that afternoon - to collect his own car.

Is it even possible that it was his car that was parked next to the garage driveway earlier that day, so causing the confusion that followed over whether it was Suzi's car that was parked there when all along it was 'Mr Kipper's' car? This could explain WJ's version of a car having been parked in that spot since 12.45 that day.

Or what if the Perp's car was the same type of car and colour? JMO MOO Thus the confusion from witnesses

 

[Pinkizzy]

Or what if the Perp's car was the same type of car and colour? JMO MOO Thus the confusion from witnesses

Where did the perp meet Suzy? In Bishops Park or Stevenage Rd?

 

[WiseOwl]

Or what if the Perp's car was the same type of car and colour? JMO MOO Thus the confusion from witnesses

It's possible that Mr Kipper's car was similar in type/colour to Suzy's, and would explain both the confusion from witnesses and also why Suzy's car was left in Stevenage Road that afternoon.

 

[WiseOwl]

Where did the perp meet Suzy? In Bishops Park or Stevenage Rd?

It is not known where Suzy met Mr Kipper that lunchtime.

However, it's interesting that you reference Bishops Park. This is at the end of Stevenage Road and if you carry on and turn left into Bishop's Park Road you end up at the tennis courts. Suzy's mom said in an interview on 30 July 1986 that Suzy was supposed to be playing tennis on Monday evening (the day she disappeared), so is it possible she arranged to meet Mr Kipper at the tennis courts? Was it a place they both knew well?

It would be interesting to know who Suzy was due to play tennis with that evening, perhaps she had made a note of it in her diary?

 

[Bickles]

It is not known where Suzy met Mr Kipper that lunchtime.

However, it's interesting that you reference Bishops Park. This is at the end of Stevenage Road and if you carry on and turn left into Bishop's Park Road you end up at the tennis courts. Suzy's mom said in an interview on 30 July 1986 that Suzy was supposed to be playing tennis on Monday evening (the day she disappeared), so is it possible she arranged to meet Mr Kipper at the tennis courts? Was it a place they both knew well?

It would be interesting to know who Suzy was due to play tennis with that evening, perhaps she had made a note of it in her diary?

But if meeting Mr Kipper at the tennis courts at 6pm, how do we explain Suzy's absence from work that afternoon? And why did she not arrive at the pub to collect her belongings?

 

[WiseOwl]

But if meeting Mr Kipper at the tennis courts at 6pm, how do we explain Suzy's absence from work that afternoon? And why did she not arrive at the pub to collect her belongings?

Apologies if my post was misleading, what I meant was that did Suzy meet Mr Kipper at lunchtime by the tennis courts NOT at 6pm.

If Mr Kipper did indeed park his car at Stevenage Road then he wouldn't have far to walk to the tennis courts for Suzy to pick him up.

All MOO of course!

 

[Terryb808]

That's an interesting point re the workmen - the white fiesta was parked after they had finished work. Who knows where Suzy went with the male passenger

If Barbara W & the workman are correct Suzy spent approximately 1.5 to 2.00 hours with the perpetrator before heading off towards Hammersmith. Looking at the facts Suzy only intended to be out of the office for a short while (according to DV her big boss was likely to call back in), so who or what could have persuaded her to spend so much time with him and then drive to Hammersmith?
Her car came back to Stevenage Road, but she didn’t sometime after 4pm.
This means Suzy is either locked up or she’s already been murdered.
Who has a connection to the Hammersmith area?

 

[WiseOwl]

If Barbara W & the workman are correct Suzy spent approximately 1.5 to 2.00 hours with the perpetrator before heading off towards Hammersmith. Looking at the facts Suzy only intended to be out of the office for a short while (according to DV her big boss was likely to call back in), so who or what could have persuaded her to spend so much time with him and then drive to Hammersmith?
Her car came back to Stevenage Road, but she didn’t sometime after 4pm.
This means Suzy is either locked up or she’s already been murdered.
Who has a connection to the Hammersmith area?

Do we know if any of Suzy's acquaintances had any connections to Hammersmith?

Who of all the people she knew played tennis with her?

Did any of her friends own a car similar to Suzy's?

Did the police thoroughly check with all of the people she knew to see what they were doing on Monday afternoon?

I presume the police would of spoke to all the people who either worked or socialized with Suzy, but none of it seems to have been released to the public.

 

[Terryb808]

Do we know if any of Suzy's acquaintances had any connections to Hammersmith?

Who of all the people she knew played tennis with her?

Did any of her friends own a car similar to Suzy's?

Did the police thoroughly check with all of the people she knew to see what they were doing on Monday afternoon?

I presume the police would of spoke to all the people who either worked or socialized with Suzy, but none of it seems to have been released to the public.

Sadly after 35 years not many people know the details of the initial enquiries (including the current Met team) which is probably why the current team are only interested in their prime suspect.
I’m sure the original team back in 1986 checked out Suzy’s friends, I don’t recall the tennis appointment being given much space in the Stephen book.
I do believe that DV is right when he says Suzy invented Mr Kipper to get out of the office. So you have to then think Suzy never went to Shorrolds Road. She could have met someone near Stevenage Road and the perpetrator then put her car back after the abduction. This would account for the apparent different times the car was seen there.
DV’s book opens up a lot of alternatives, one big question has to be “is the acting pub Landlord telling the truth?
What’s everyone’s view on this?

 

[Bickles]

Sadly after 35 years not many people know the details of the initial enquiries (including the current Met team) which is probably why the current team are only interested in their prime suspect.
I’m sure the original team back in 1986 checked out Suzy’s friends, I don’t recall the tennis appointment being given much space in the Stephen book.
I do believe that DV is right when he says Suzy invented Mr Kipper to get out of the office. So you have to then think Suzy never went to Shorrolds Road. She could have met someone near Stevenage Road and the perpetrator then put her car back after the abduction. This would account for the apparent different times the car was seen there.
DV’s book opens up a lot of alternatives, one big question has to be “is the acting pub Landlord telling the truth?
What’s everyone’s view on this?

I think the tennis appointment wasn't given much relevance because by then Suzy had already been missing for several hours. I think DV may be right in thinking the diary was important. There's nothing salacious in my pocket diary, but if it was lost, I'd be keen to get it back as it holds other personal info. Based on this, I think it's likely the last place Suzy went voluntarily was the pub.

The Suffolk strangler was at one point a pub landlord and I think I read an article saying he had been an acting pub landlord. Will try to find the link. What are the chances of him already knowing Suzy from their time on the cruise ships and also being the one to return her missing items though?

That said, DV doesn't suggest that the Suffolk Strangler was the pub landlord. I think either an accident inside the pub or Suzy was abducted and her friend's sighting of her could well have been quite accurate.