Suzy Lamplugh murder suspect to stay behind bars after parole board finds release would be unsafe

John Cannan has served more than 33 years for the rape and murder of newlywed Shirley Banks in 1987

John Cannan was jailed for life in 1989 for the rape and murder of Shirley Banks (PA/Avon and Somerset Police)

The parole board has refused to release murderer and serial rapist John Cannan, who is also the prime suspect in the unsolved murder of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh.

Cannan was jailed for life in 1989 for raping and murdering Bristol newlywed Shirley Banks, 29, whose naked body was found dumped in a ditch.

He was convicted of a further sexual offence, an attempted kidnapping and two offences of abduction with intent to engage in unlawful sexual intercourse at the same trial.

In 2002 he was also named by police cold case detectives as the chief suspect in the disappearance and murder of Miss Lamplugh, but the Crown Prosecution Service said there was not enough evidence to charge him. Cannan denies any involvement in her disappearance.

Ms Lamplugh vanished in Fulham, west London, in July 1986, aged 25, after leaving her office to meet a client known only as Mr Kipper. Her body has never been recovered.

Her disappearance has remained one of the UK’s most notorious cold cases and she was declared dead - presumed murdered - in 1994.

Estate agent Suzy Lamplugh disappeared after going out to meet a client called mr Kipper (Shutterstock)

In September, Cannan – now 69 and reported to be receiving end of life care  – faced a parole hearing after serving his minimum term of 33 years and 214 days.

However in a decision published on Monday, the parole board refused to release the killer.

The board also refused to move Cannan, who is currently incarcerated in a maximum security Category A prison, to open conditions, which would see him downgraded to a Category D facility.

The board said Cannan continues to maintain his innocence and has not completed any accredited programmes to address his offending behaviour.

The board noted that at the time of his attacks, Cannan was “preoccupied with sex” and “preferred sex to include violence”.

Assessing risk factors involved in his offending, the panel said: “Mr Cannan evidenced feelings of anger and suspicion, struggled to manage extreme emotions and had a distorted perception of appropriate sexual boundaries.

“He had demonstrated a need for power and control, and had held a derogatory attitude towards women.”

Announcing their decision, the panel concluded: “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing, the panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public.

“Nor did the panel recommend to the Secretary of State that Mr Cannan should be transferred to an open prison.

“Mr Cannan will be eligible for another parole review in due course.”

Cannan is understood to have been released from a hostel at Wormwood Scrubs Prison, where he served a six-year sentence for rape, three days before Miss Lamplugh vanished.

He was also connected to the cold case due to his strong resemblance to an e-fit of her abductor, while reports have claimed he was nicknamed Kipper while serving his earlier sentence.

In 2018, police carried out excavations at Cannan’s mother’s former home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, but nothing was found.

A team of around 15 officers and staff excavated parts of the site, using ground-penetrating radar and advice from an archaeologist.