Simon Parkes’ mother calls on suspect to reveal what happened to her son 40 years ago 

By Rob Freeman and Ben Mitchell, Press Association 

The mother of a sailor missing for 40 years has called on the man she believes responsible for his disappearance to reveal what happened to her son. 

Simon Parkes, from Bristol, was last seen in December 1986 when the Royal Navy ship he was serving on, HMS Illustrious, was docked in Gibraltar. 

His disappearance was part of investigations by Hampshire police into the past of Allan Grimson, a former petty officer, after he was jailed for life in 2001 for the murders of navy rating Nicholas Wright and barman Sion Jenkins. 

Grimson, who on Monday was found guilty of sexually assaulting four males, has always denied being involved in the disappearance but Margaret Parkes has urged him to “tell us what happened to Simon”. 

She told the Daily Mirror: “How do you get in to the head of a man like that? We want him to tell us what he knows, where Simon’s body is, we would want that, but he’s in denial now.” 

Hampshire police announced in December 2025 that it had closed its investigation into the death. 

Mrs Parkes said: “I was very disappointed that the investigation was dropped. Now we want to have an inquest so we can also be given a death certificate after nearly 40 years. We want someone to say that Simon is dead.” 

“I’m 80 now so we probably don’t have much longer if you think of it that way. We want answers.” 

Grimson had also been serving on the aircraft carrier when it docked at Gibraltar. 

Mr Parkes, a radio operator, had gone ashore on December 12 1986 – the same date in December that Grimson killed Mr Wright and Mr Jenkins in separate years, more than a decade later. 

Announcing the end of the investigation in December, Detective Superintendent Adam Edwards said: “Officers have worked tirelessly to investigate the disappearance of Simon Parkes and to find answers for his devastated family.” 

“This information has been thoroughly explored and following a complex investigation which has included advice from the CPS, we are now drawing our enquiries to a close.” 

“The full circumstances surrounding Simon’s disappearance still remain unknown, however police will continue to support the ongoing coronial process.” 

On Monday, jurors at Winchester Crown Court convicted 66-year-old Grimson, of Hollesley, Suffolk, for the rape and indecent assault of a teenage naval rating, and indecent assault charges against three other male complainants, dating between February 1994 and November 1999.