Circumstantial Evidence

"I didn’t get this feeling of loss because you want to keep your hopes up you know, you think any minute now she’ll walk through that door”

The police decide they either need to implicate or eliminate Cannan as a suspect. “There was massive circumstantial evidence that we uncovered in the reinvestigation that pointed to Cannan.” Detective Chief Inspector Jim Dickie With advances in technology the police set to work computerising the 26,000 card-index system that was created in 1986. This allows them to cross-check data and they make a shocking discovery. It becomes clear that other estate agents in the Fulham area were also visited by a Mr Kipper. Was Mr Kipper the alter-ego of John Cannan? A witness comes forward to say that a man matching Cannan’s description turned up at a house for sale in Fulham uninvited and without an estate agent. He chats to the lady owner and gains entry to the house. Clearly he thinks they’re alone. He starts acting strangely, and it’s only when the husband appears, that the man makes a very swift exit. The police also can’t ignore that Cannan resembles the photofit of the man seen by two different witnesses. Have the police found the elusive Mr Kipper?

Surprisingly, it transpires that Kipper was Cannan’s nickname in prison. A jogger remembers seeing a man and woman arguing in a black or dark-blue BMW. Their descriptions match those of Suzy and Cannan. Unusually, the jogger remembers that the car was a left-hand drive. Police are able to prove that Cannan had access to a black BMW as he had used it for crime with a criminal associate, who also happened to be staying at the prison hostel next to Wormwood Scrubs. When the police start looking into his character, they find a man who thinks he’s a modern cssanova. He’s very attracted to women, and appears to have very old-fashioned methods when chatting women up. He uses all the tricks in the book -  chocolates, flowers and champagne. “He comes across as very smooth, very affable, and appears to be a successful businessman. Which he certainly wasn’t. He appears to have a rather nice romantic streak, although there’s something in the background you won’t like, certainly if you’re a woman.” Stewart Trendler The problem is, he’s a casanova with a very violent streak. When interviewing Cannan’s previous girlfriends it becomes apparent that he doesn’t like rejection.

There is a pattern with former girlfriends where when he feels rejected by them he resorts to violence

The police believe they have found their man, and release his name to the media in November 2002. Unfortunately there is not enough evidence to bring him to justice. “I have come across people like Cannan, who I believe is a psychopath -clear and simple.  My view is if he ever was released, he would still be a danger to the female population of this country.” Jim Dickie, Detective Chief Inspector