Inquest opens into death of murderer John Cannan in East Yorkshire prison

A convicted murderer died in an East Yorkshire prison earlier this month due to a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, an inquest has revealed.

John Cannan was jailed for life in 1989 for the rape and murder of Bristol newlywed Shirley Banks in 1987 and was the main suspect in the unsolved disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh.

He was found dead at the age of 70 at HMP Full Sutton on November 6.

An inquest into Cannan's death was opened and adjourned on Friday at Hull Coroner's Court in a five-minute hearing.

Area coroner for Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire, Lorraine Harris, stated she had received a statement from the prison confirming Cannan's identity and providing details of how he was found, which were not read out.

Ms Harris informed the hearing that the cause of death was a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

According to the NHS website, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, sometimes known as a Triple A, is a swelling in the artery that transports blood from the heart to the abdomen.

The coroner mentioned she will be requesting various pieces of information from the prison, which accommodates Category A and B inmates, and she adjourned the hearing to a date yet to be determined.

No family members were present in court for the short hearing, which was attended solely by journalists and court staff.

Cannan was jailed for a minimum of 35 years for the rape and murder of Mrs Banks, along with a further sexual offence, an attempted kidnapping and two offences of abduction with intent to engage in unlawful sexual intercourse.

Mrs Banks was just 29 when she was abducted by Cannan when she went on a shopping trip in Bristol.

Her remains were later discovered in a stream in the Quantock Hills, in Somerset.

In 2002, Cannan was identified as the main suspect in the disappearance of estate agent Ms Lamplugh in 1986, an accusation he has refuted.

Ms Lamplugh was declared dead, presumed murdered, following her disappearance in July 1986 at the age of 25.

She had left her west London workplace to show a property to a mysterious client known only as "Mr Kipper" and was never seen again.

Her vehicle, a white Ford Fiesta, was later found abandoned in Stevenage Road, Fulham, with police believing she was kidnapped and killed.

Cannan faced questioning while behind bars regarding the case but was never charged.

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In 2018, detectives dug up the garden of Cannan's mother's former home in Sutton Coldfield, but found nothing.

As of October last year, the parole board deemed Cannan too dangerous to be set free. The board was told that Cannan continued to claim innocence and hadn't engaged in any recognised programmes to mitigate reoffending risks during his imprisonment.

Following Cannan's death, Ms Lamplugh's brother said that their family would never achieve closure.

Richard Lamplugh, 64, stated he was "not mourning John Cannan" but rather the "loss of him ever giving us closure".

Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: "It's really sad that my folks weren't around to even find out where he buried her. We would dearly love to be able to find Suzy's body and to scatter her ashes where my parents' ashes are scattered."