Tribute Paid to Diana Lumplugh
Murdered agent's mother dies without seeing justice for daughter
Tributes have been paid to Diana Lamplugh, mother of missing estate agent estate agent Suzy, who has died aged 75, without seeing justice for her daughter.
On July 28, 1986, 25 year-old Suzy left Sturgis' estate agency in Fulham Road - now the office of Chesterton Humberts - to show a house at 37 Shorrolds Road to someone described in her diary as "Mr Kipper".
The night her white Ford Fiesta was found in Stevenage Road, with the keys missing, but with her purse containing £15 still in the pocket of the driver's door.
After she vanished, officers examined thousands of lines of inquiry and conducted DNA testing on 800 unidentified bodies, but no trace of Suzy was found and she was officially declared dead in 1994.
After her disappearance Diana established the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and campaigned tirelessly to improve women's awareness of personal safety, receiving an OBE in 1992.
In recent years however, she has been ill with Alzheimer's and died in her sleep on August 19 after suffering a stroke.
Paying tribute to Diana, Paul Infield, Chairman of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust's Board of Trustees, said: " Diana was one of those people who contributed energy, focus and commitment to everything she did.
"With her husband, Paul, she was tireless in establishing, through the Trust, the concept of and discipline for personal safety – now a household expression – as a positive life skill for people of all ages and occupations. All responsible organisations now have a personal safety policy.
“Her message is as relevant today as when she started campaigning following Suzy’s disappearance. Whilst she will be sorely missed, the trustees and staff of the Trust are determined that our work will continue to fulfil Diana’s vision of improving people’s personal safety by giving them the knowledge and skills to enable them to live life to the full – avoiding aggression and violence."
Although the case was first closed in October 1987, the file remained open and the investigation was reopened in 2000. In December that year, officers conducted a fingertip search at the former Army barracks in Norton, near Worcester, but were not thought to have found anything significant.
At the time there was a suggestion that Suzy may have been murdered by convicted killer John Cannan, and a former girlfriend of Cannan's, Gilly Paige reportedly told police he had claimed to have buried her in this location.
A year ago, police carried out a new search, of a piece of land between Pershore and the village of Drakes Broughton about three miles from those barracks, but it too brought no results. After an examination using ground-penetrating radar to find if the earth had been disturbed 24 years ago, a police spokesman said the search was "negative".
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said earlier this week: "Officers investigating the disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh will be carrying out a search on Tuesday of a small area near Pershore in Worcestershire. The Met remains committed to solving the Suzy Lamplugh case and we will continue to work towards this end. We will follow up any information in relation to this case."
August 26, 2011