Vehicle door lock

A lock for a vehicle having a door and a fixed part proximate the door, the lock comprising a housing attached to the vehicle door and having a front and a rear;

• latch means comprising a section, mounted within said housing and rotatable about an axis extending between the front and rear of said housing, and a hook;
• a handle accessible from the said front of said housing and connected to rotate said section along a path between a first position, wherein said hook engages the part to secure the vehicle door in the closed position and a second position, wherein the hook is remote from the part such that the door can be opened;
• a key actuated lock cylinder mounted in said housing for movement between a locked position and an unlocked position;
• a member, operatively connected to said cylinder, linearly moveable relative to said housing in a direction substantially parallel to said axis about which said section rotates, between a position spaced from said rear of said housing, remote from said path, and a position proximate said rear of said housing, intersecting said path, as said cylinder moves between said unlocked position and said locked position, and means for biasing said member toward said position proximate said rear of said housing, wherein said key actuated lock cylinder is axillary offset from said member, further comprising means operatively connecting said cylinder and said member;
• wherein said connecting means comprises a linkage part connected for movement with said lock cylinder, a cam surface on said linkage part and a cam associated with said member, in operative engagement with said cam surface.