Lamplugh police search goes on

Police are carrying out a fingertip search of the land

Police trying to find the body of Suzy Lamplugh, the estate agent who disappeared 14 years ago, are continuing their intensive search of land near to Norton Barracks, Worcestershire.

More than 30 officers, including dog teams, police divers and forensic archaeologists spent Monday carrying out a fingertip search of a disused brickworks and a surrounding copse and lake.

The search is expected to go on until Friday.

We would very much hope to find Suzy for her family but we have to be realistic

Det Supt Shaun Sawyer

The 25-year-old vanished after going to show a property to a man called Mr Kipper in Fulham, south west London, in 1986.

Ms Lamplugh's body was never recovered, and eventually the family accepted she had been murdered.

Detective Superintendent Shaun Sawyer, of the Metropolitan Police, said at a news conference on Monday that the search was as a result of information received over the summer.

Detectives recently questioned convicted killer John Cannan in connection with Miss Lamplugh's death.

Suzy Lamplugh's disappearance has remained a mystery

Scotland Yard said on Monday that he was no longer being quizzed and had not been charged in connection with the inquiry.

Ms Lamplugh's mother, Diana Lamplugh, was first told that her daughter could be buried at the abandoned army barracks in December 1999.

The information, which came through Mrs Lamplugh's own contacts rather than through detectives, was passed on via a telephone call and a letter.

Appeal to killer

But Mr Sawyer ruled out digging or excavation in that area, which has now been developed into a housing estate.

"The Norton Barracks has been so well developed in terms of housing, that if Suzy was there, she would have been found by now or her body has been covered.

"If that is the case, it is unlikely she would be found."

Metropolitan Police detectives have met West Mercia Police to discuss a number of sites in the Worcestershire area that might have relevance to the inquiry.

Police divers search a fishing lake

Mr Sawyer said: "I would once more appeal to Suzy's killer to clear their conscience and tell us the location of her body."

He said that while the latest search was an important element in the inquiry, he stressed detectives were "extremely cautious of any likelihood of any success".

"We would very much hope to find Suzy for her family but we have to be realistic," he added.

Police have questioned Cannan in connection with the crime on previous occasions, but he has repeatedly denied having anything to do with Miss Lamplugh's death.

He is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted in 1989 of murdering a 29-year-old woman.

Suzy's parents are being kept informed

The army barracks' location ties in with claims made more than a decade ago by Cannan's former girlfriend.

Gilly Paige said that while in a relationship with Cannan he had confessed to the crime and hinted about burying the body in Worcestershire.

In May this year the investigation was re-opened and an appeal was made on the BBC's Crimewatch programme.

The publicity encouraged new witnesses to come forward.

Police then appealed for more information about a dark, left-hand drive BMW car that a jogger saw in Fulham at the time of Suzy's disappearance.

Anyone with information should call the incident room at Belgravia Police Station on 020 7321 925, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.