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Convicted Murderer Made Chilling Dating Video Just Months Before His Arrest

Convicted Murderer Made Chilling Dating Video Just Months Before His Arrest

John Cannan was found guilty of multiple violent offences

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

A convicted killer made a chilling video for a dating agency, just months before he was arrested for murder, rape and abduction:

John Cannan was most known for links to the high profile disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh, the case of which was delved into in Channel 4's true-crime series In the Footsteps of Killers tonight.

Lamplugh went missing on 28 July 1986 when she was 25 years old. An estate agent, Suzy had gone to show a house to someone she called 'Mr Kipper' - but she was never seen again.

She was officially declared dead, presumed murdered, in 1994 - but nobody was ever charged with her murder.

The disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh remains unsolved.
PA

Cannan later became the main suspect.

The man didn't have a good reputation. He had assaulted and tried to kill his ex, before meeting Jean Bradford in March 1981. Bradford ran a ladies knitwear shop.

Cannan attempted to rob her at knifepoint, before tying up Bradford's mother with tights and raping her daughter in front of her, he also threatened to stab her 17-month-old baby.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison for rape, but served five and was on day release from 25 January 1986. This was during the lead up to Suzy Lamplugh's disappearance in the July.

The next year, in September 1987, he filmed a video for Suitar Dating Agency under the fake name of John Peterson.

However, the owners of the agency felt something wasn't right about him, and didn't end up releasing it.

Just months later, he abducted and murdered 29-year-old Shirley Banks, bludgeoning the factory worker to death in Bristol and disposing of her body in woodland.

Shirley Banks was murdered in 1987.
Shirley Banks was murdered in 1987.

But dressed smartly, a dapper looking Cannan shows himself to be a smooth talker, making jokes with the interviewer about pirates.

He talks about the kind of woman he wants to meet, saying he has a 'dislike of inflated egos', and doesn't like pretentiousness, which he refers to as 'inner weakness'.

When asked what attracts him to someone, he says: "Apart from the physical side, again, I think somebody who's pleasant, who's natural, who's relaxed, somebody who's calm."

But he doesn't want someone who is career-driven.

He goes on: "Physically, somebody like Stephanie Beacham!

"Joking apart, someday natural, nice, pleasant, somebody with character, a little personality.

"Just somebody normal. Somebody who's easy and relaxed to be with."

Cannan laughs with the interviewer.
YouTube

The interviewer asks him what comedy he likes and what his sense of humour is like, to which he responds: "I'm a little bit dry with regards to humour."

He is then asked about his ambitions, saying: "I've achieved them. Financially, I've achieved them.

"I'm in a sedimentary period where financially and career-wise I've achieved what I've wanted to achieve."

Staring coldly down the camera, he adds: "I'm just looking for the next thing to achieve."

Cannan, now 66, is serving a life sentence for murdering Shirley Banks in 1987, the attempted kidnap of Julia Holman and the rape of an unnamed woman in 1986. He could be released in 2022.

Despite being the only suspect in the disappearance of Lamplugh, police were never able to actually charge him. The case remains one of the highest profile unsolved cases in British history.

In the Footsteps of Killers is on Channel 4 tonight at 10pm.

Featured Image Credit: PA/YouTube

Topics: UK News, True Crime