MURDERER John Cannan, who dumped his victim on the Quantock Hills, has died in prison, aged 70.

The Prison Service said Cannan died in Full Sutton Prison, Yorkshire, where he was held as a category A prisoner, meaning he was considered to pose the highest risk to the public.

It said the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman would investigate Cannan’s death as it did for all those who died in custody.

Cannan murdered Bristol woman Shirley Banks, whose body was found in a stream at Dead Woman’s Ditch, near Over Stowey.

He was jailed for life in 1989, and early last year reports emerged that he was on his deathbed in prison.

Cannan applied for release during his illness but was refused by the Parole Board in October, 2023.

He was also the main suspect in the notorious 1986 case of missing London estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, although he was never charged.