SOMEONE, somewhere in
Southampton, could be
harbouring a dark secret
that has been gnawing
away at them for more
than 20 years.
He or she wrote an anonymous letter to
detectives investigating the death of a
woman who had been strangled and dumped
in a water-filled ditch.
A fingerprint on the second-class letter,
which bore a Southampton postmark, separates
the killer of Sandra Court from justice.
Now, with fresh publicity, police hope a
desperately conscience-stricken killer or
someone with vital information might finally
contact them.
Dorset detectives mounted a full-scale murder
investigation after teenagers on a Duke of
Edinburgh award scheme made the horrifying
discovery at the Avon Causeway, between
Burn and Sopley, on May 3, 1986.
A post-mortem examination revealed she
had been strangled, but with minimum force.
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Her body was identified the following day
as that of the 29-year-old Sandra Court, who
had just finished her job as a section head in
the transactions department of a major
insurance company to take up a post as
nanny to a family in Spain the following
week.
She had celebrated her departure, first at
an office party, and then at Steppes nightclub
in Swithuns Road, Bournemouth.
The anonymous letter
She had been with her younger sister, Jennifer, but they left the club separately.
Sandra took a taxi from the club and was
dropped off at her sisters home in Downton
Close on the Muscliff Estate in Bournemouth
at about 2.45am.
Her sister, unfortunately, was not at home. It
was the last confirmed sighting of her,
although police received a series of reported
sightings of her near her parents home in
Moordown.
Sandras body was found clothed, except for
her shoes. She had been wearing a white
blouse, wide black belt and black ski trousers.
Her handbag and jewellery were missing,
though some of the items were found in the
next few days. They included:
ñ A necklace half a mile from where her body
was found
ñ Her jacket near Bransgore
ñ A cosmetic bag in a New Forest car park
ñ Her photo card near Stoney Cross.
ñ A shoe near Ringwood
ñ Part of her chequebook at Picket Post.
A police spokesman told the Daily Echo:
The motive for the murder is unclear. There
is no evidence of sexual interference, nor
were valuable items or large sums of money
missing. She had no known enemies. The
precise time and location of her death are still
not known.
Police received some 2,000 calls from the
public offering information. Eleven thousand
five hundred inquiries had been investigated,
more than 3,600 people had made 4,300
statements, 5,000 sets of fingerprints were
taken, and almost 63,000 man-hours had been
dedicated to solving the mystery.
However, following widespread publicity, the
officer then leading the inquiry, Det Supt Alan
Rose, received a poignant letter with the
Southampton postmark on May 16.
The writing was plain, the words simple. It
claimed Sandras death had not been
deliberate.
It read: Dear sir, I amwriting to tell you that
the tragic death of Sandra Court was a complete
and utter accident, in no form is the person
a killer or murderer. The person concerned
is deeply unhappy, hurt and in total
shock. The only reason the person has not
come forward is the fact of being afraid that
their explanation will not be believed. Please I
beg take this letter to be of the truth.
The claim was later repeated in a telephone
call to the BBCs Crimewatch programmeafter
a TV reconstruction of her last movements.
Police have eliminated everyone who could
have handled the cheque. They now believe
the only person who could have handled it is
the killer who tore it up.
Detectives interviewed John Cannan, who
has been linked with the murder of estate
agent Suzy Lamplugh, during the course of
their inquiries.
Cannan, 53, is serving a life sentence for the
kidnap and the murder of newlywed Shirley
Banks, whose body was found in a water-filled
ditch in Somerset. She had been hit over the
head with a large stone.
Today officers from the countys major
crime team are still hopeful the letter writer
may yet come forward following further publicity
about the case in the Daily Echo.
A spokesman said: We would like to hear
from anyone with information about the murder
or know who is responsible.
ñ Call Dorset police on 01202 22222 or
Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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