Suzy Lamplugh — Part 3: John Cannan, Steve Wright and the Unanswered Questions

In the concluding episode of Crime Time Inc’s three-part examination of the disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh, former Metropolitan Police detective Mike Barley reflects on an investigation that has remained with him for forty years.

Mike considers why the appointment with “Mr Kipper” was different from every other entry in Suzy’s diary, the limitations facing detectives before modern computer and forensic systems, and the emotional burden of living with an unresolved case.

He also answers one of the most difficult questions an investigator can face: knowing what he knows now, what does he believe the police got right—and what would he have done differently?

The discussion examines several potentially important decisions. Should witnesses have been asked to produce a description of the woman seen with the unidentified man? Did the photograph originally released accurately reflect Suzy’s appearance when she disappeared? Should John Cannan have been interviewed again? And was an opportunity lost when a proposed search of Norton Barracks was refused?

Mike explains how John Cannan’s death in prison affected him and why it finally persuaded him to record the investigation from the inside in a book written with Russell Barnes: Suzy Lamplugh: The Inside Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Missing Person Investigation.

After Mike’s interview, Tom Wood and Simon McLean review all three episodes.

They consider how a major investigation changes when the initial activity subsides, the danger of becoming fixed upon one suspect and the importance of separating evidence from theory.

Simon also raises convicted serial murderer Steve Wright, sometimes called the Suffolk Strangler. Wright and Suzy had both worked aboard the QE2, and Wright’s former wife reportedly claimed she had seen them speaking. Tom tests that suggested connection against the available timeline, victimology and known patterns of offending—and explains why an intriguing possibility is not the same as evidence.

The episode concludes with a wider reflection on the responsibilities detectives carry towards victims and their families, and why the success of an investigation cannot always be measured solely by whether somebody is convicted.

No person has ever been convicted in connection with Suzy Lamplugh’s disappearance. Opinions expressed about possible suspects are identified as investigative assessments or theories, not established findings of fact.

Listen now to the final part of Crime Time Inc’s conversation with Mike Barley.

Real cases. Real detectives. Real talk.