Margaret Parkes Urges Suspected Killer to Reveal What Happened to Her Missing Son

Margaret Parkes says she and her husband are running out of time to learn what happened to their son Simon, a teenage Royal Navy sailor who vanished four decades ago. The couple, now in their 80s, have never been able to hold a funeral and still hope his remains might one day be found. Speaking after Allan Grimson was sentenced for sexual offences against four boys and men, Parkes called on him to disclose where Simon’s body may be. Grimson, a former navy petty officer, has been suspected in Simon’s disappearance, but has not admitted responsibility for it. Parkes told the source that the uncertainty has affected the family throughout their lives and that the loss “never goes away.” The retired primary school teacher said she doubts Grimson will provide an answer, though she continues to hope for one. She also said she believes he should remain in prison, describing him as someone who should not be allowed back into the community. Grimson has been imprisoned for more than 25 years after admitting to killing two young men who had served in the navy. A judge described him in 2001 as a “serial killer in nature if not by number.” This year, a jury convicted him of sexual offences against four boys and men, including a 14-year-old. He was sentenced to a further 22 years, and the sentencing judge said he remained dangerous and posed a significant risk to the public. Parkes followed the recent trial and said she was impressed by the four men who came forward to testify after many years. Their evidence, she said, must have been difficult to give, but was important to them. The disappearance of Simon was raised during the proceedings, with the judge acknowledging that Grimson was a suspect. For Parkes and her husband, however, the central question remains unanswered: where their son’s remains might be.