Probe into Bassey daughter death
Police have confirmed they are making fresh inquiries into the death of Dame Shirley Bassey’s daughter.
Samantha Novak, 21, was found face-down in the River Avon near Bristol in 1985. The death was believed to be suicide.
An Avon and Somerset Police spokeswoman said it was investigating a claim that convicted killer Michael Moffat, 47, was involved in the death.
She said the mother of Moffat’s victim had written to police saying that her daughter had alleged he was involved.
Moffat, originally from Edinburgh, was jailed for 11 years for killing his lover Penny Beale, 31, in Hastings, East Sussex in 2001.
He is alleged to have claimed he was in a relationship with Ms Novak when she died. Moffat is currently held in a Scottish prison.
Mother’s letter
In 2009 Dame Shirley said she was suspicious of the death.
The police spokeswoman told the BBC: "The mother of Moffat’s victim wrote to us with some information in the last couple of weeks.
"Her daughter had said that Moffat told her he was involved in the murder of Samantha Novak.
"We looked at the circumstances surrounding the death six months ago after comments made by Dame Shirley Bassey.
"There was nothing from the coroner’s report to suggest it was murder rather than suicide.
"This information is obviously additional so we are making fresh inquiries."</p
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