Calls for witnesses 37 years on from disappearance of Royal Navy sailor Simon Parkes

Royal Navy rating, Simon Parkes,18, from Bristol, went missing late at night after a day of drinking with crewmates in 1986. He left his friends at 10.30pm at the Horseshoe Pub on Main Street telling them he was going to get food before returning to the ship. However, he was never seen again. His disappearance remains a mystery with a police investigation, jointly operated by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and Gibraltar police, still ongoing.

Reports emerged in March 2023 of an investigation into new information which led to a ground penetration radar scan in a previously unsearched area. Further excavations took place in August without the desired results. The X (formerly Twitter) account SimonParkesMissing1986 has called for anyone who may have information to come forward.

They posted: “Missing since 12.12.86 - It's now 37 years since Simon vanished in Gibraltar after leaving his friends to return to the ship that night. HMS Illustrious called in at 9am after returning from Global '86. He left the ship around midday and had drinks in the Angry Friar. Then the Horseshoe Pub. By 1.30pm he wandered down Main St to the Venture Inn where he chatted to some girls, then pool at the Royal Oak and back to the Horseshoe Pub. The DJ Simon Bates was there too. Do you remember? Simon left after 10pm. Allan Grimson was also seen there.

"Did Grimson follow Simon out? Simon turned left towards the ship and both he and Grimson were seen outside the Angry Friar. Do you remember??? Please get in touch [email protected] His poor parents are desperate for answers and Grimson's parole hearing is in two months.”

Grimson, from Portsmouth, served on the Illustrious with Parkes. He was later convicted of the murder of two men in 1997 and 1998 with both murders taking place on December 12, the same day that Parkes disappeared. It has long been speculated that Grimson may have had something to do with the disappearance, a claim that Grimson has denied. Grimson was given a 22 year jail term for the murders of 18-year-old naval rating Nicholas Wright and 20-year-old barman Sion Jenkins. He has a parole hearing in February.