By John Smith • Published: 03 Dec 2019 • 11:15
The Anchor Monument in Trafalgar Cemetery Credit: Harry Mitchell Creative Commons
IN December 1986, 18-year-old Royal Navy radio operator Simon Parkes disappeared in Gibraltar and his body has never been found but new evidence has brought officers from the Hampshire Constabulary to search the Trafalgar Cemetery.
Working with the Royal Gibraltar Police, they are hoping to either discover a body or to jog the memory of those who might have seen the young man in the company of fellow seaman Allan Grimson who was serving with him on HMS Illustrious.
Grimson was later convicted of the brutal killing of two men, both on the same date, December 12 but in 1997 and 1998 and it has always been considered a possibility that he was responsible for the death of Simon Parkes, especially as he too disappeared in December.
The killer was branded “a serial killer in nature, if not in number” by the judge who presided over his trial and it is believed likely that he was responsible for several more murders which remain unsolved.
He has denied any involvement in the disappearance of the teenage sailor but parents, Margaret and David Parkes are desperate to know what happened to their son and to reach some form of closure.
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Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
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