Code cracked over film star's millions

Diana Dors died of cancer in 1984

The son of the 1950s star Diana Dors is hunting for a hidden stache of money he says his mother left when she died.

Mark Dawson believes that millions of pounds was left by the Swindon-born film star, some of which may be in a bank account in Bristol.

Just before she died in 1984, Ms Dors, an avid crossword fan, gave her son a sheet of paper full of a mysterious sequence of letters.

He has been trying to crack this code for 20 years with the help of the team that unravelled the World War II Enigma code, and encryption investigators in Berkshire.

The codes have been cracked with expert help

Now, Mr Dawson says he has cracked the code, which suggests some of the cash may be in an account in the city under the name of Cooper.

It is also thought that more accounts are dotted around other cities in the UK.

Mr Dawson says that he is still missing some vital information to find the cash, including account numbers, and is appealing for help.

Code breaker Alan Clarke added: "It was a difficult and complex code to unravel by hand without the key. But in the age of computers, combinations can be tried much quicker.

Pin-up

"The important thing now is to try and locate the banks and how the money was deposited."

Born in 1931 as Mavis Fluck, Ms Dors was known as the English Marilyn Monroe.

Her film career, which began in the 1940's, lasted into the 1980's.

She started her career as a pin-up and won her first film contract at 15 with J. Arthur Rank. Her debut was in "The Shop at Sly Corner"