Suzy Lamplugh chief suspect complains of 'character assassination'

The chief suspect in the disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh in 1986 has written a letter from prison complaining about the "assassination" of his character.

A letter purportedly from convicted killer John Cannan dated November 6 comes as a police search of the back garden of a house once owned by his mother continues into its 13th day.

Cannan denies any involvement in the 25-year-old's disappearance.

In the correspondence sent to a female pen pal and passed to the Sunday Mirror, Cannan says he is ready to throw himself from the top of maximum security Full Sutton prison due to the latest investigation.

It reads: "I was just about to throw myself off the building when your kind letter arrived. Many thanks. If I ever win the lottery I'll buy you a villa.

"Yes, this police and press assassination of me has upset me deeply. Worse, I am in no position to reply to it so I feel powerless.

"Strange really, the reality of my life is so much more interesting yet it has been buried."

It also refers to a video for a dating agency he made back in 1987 describing his perfect woman as - among other things - "somebody who's easy and relaxed to be with".

The video is understood to have been made six weeks before he was arrested for abducting and murdering newlywed Shirley Banks in Bristol.

He is serving a life sentence for her murder.

In his letter, he says: "Well actually, I never asked to meet any woman from that agency.

"It wasn't quite what you think. Actually do not believe much of what you're reading or seeing on the telly. A lot of it I dispute."

The Mirror said it has passed the letter to the police.

Miss Lamplugh went missing after leaving her west London offices to meet a mystery client known only as Mr Kipper.

Her disappearance has remained one of the UK's most notorious cold cases and she was declared dead - presumed murdered - in 1994.

Three days before she was last seen Cannan had been released from a hostel at Wormwood Scrubs Prison where he served a six-year sentence for rape.

He was also connected to the case due to his strong resemblance to an e-fit of her abductor and, according to reports, he was nicknamed Kipper while serving his earlier sentence.

The Met has been leading the search at the address on Shipton Road in Sutton Coldfield.