Suzy Lamplugh suspect refused treatment in prison

A man who killed a woman and was suspected of murdering missing estate agent Suzy Lamplugh refused medical treatment before his death in prison, a report has concluded.

John Cannan was jailed in 1989 for the rape and murder of newlywed Shirley Banks, from Bristol. He was also the prime suspect in the unsolved murder of 25-year-old Ms Lamplugh, from London, who disappeared in 1986. Her body has never been found.

Cannan died aged 70 of natural causes in HMP Full Sutton, in East Yorkshire, on 6 November.

A Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report stated the murderer "made unwise decisions to refuse healthcare treatments despite being warned of the risks".

Cannan died of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

A final inquest was held on 27 March, in which coroner Prof Paul Marks found the prisoner had a number of medical conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but was judged to have the mental capacity to make decisions about his treatment.

Prof Marks concluded there were "no suspicious circumstances or third party involvement surrounding his death".

"He received appropriate care in the general practice setting, but refused onward referral to secondary care for further investigation and treatment," the record of inquest stated.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Adrian Usher, noted there was a delay in a nurse attending the emergency response because a gate was "incorrectly double locked".

But HMP Full Sutton told the ombudsman it was "a one-off mistake".

The prisoner had a Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation order in place.

"As the delay did not affect the outcome for Mr Cannan, we draw it to the governor's attention to prevent a recurrence," the report stated.

Cannan was jailed for life for the abduction and murder of 29-year-old factory manager Mrs Banks and two further rapes.

She was abducted after heading out on a shopping trip in Bristol.

Cannan was arrested 11 days later in Birmingham, where some of Mrs Banks' possessions were found.

Her body was later discovered in a stream in Somerset.

Ms Lamplugh disappeared after going to meet a client in Fulham on 28 July 1986. He was known only as "Mr Kipper" and was never traced.

According to reports, Cannan was nicknamed Kipper during an earlier prison sentence.

He also bore a resemblance to an e-fit of a man with whom Ms Lamplugh was seen talking to on the day she went missing - thought to be the mysterious Mr Kipper.

Cannan was questioned in prison over her disappearance but no charges were ever brought.

Police searched the back garden of his mother's former home in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, in 2018 but nothing was found.

In October 2023, the parole board ruled Cannan, who was a category A prisoner, was too dangerous to release.

The panel heard Cannan still maintained he was innocent and had not engaged in any accredited programmes to address the risk of reoffending while in jail.

Following his death, Ms Lamplugh's brother said the family would never get closure.

Richard Lamplugh, 64, said he was "not mourning John Cannan" but had been left instead mourning the "loss of him ever giving us closure".

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