Police seek ‘answers' on criminal John Palmer's killer 10 years on

South Wales Guardian

24-06-2025

The 65-year-old, once described as Britain's richest criminal, was found dead in the garden of his remote woodland home in South Weald, Essex, on June 24 2015.
It is thought his killer entered the garden over the fence and shot Mr Palmer six times with a pistol as he was outside burning rubbish on a bonfire.
Essex Police originally thought he had died of natural causes because of recent keyhole surgery to his chest, but it later emerged that officers had not properly inspected his body and he had been murdered in a suspected contract killing.
A hole found in the fence suggested the killer may have been watching him in the days prior to the murder, the force said.
Mr Palmer's killer remains at large despite detectives exploring hundreds of lines of inquiry and examining thousands of pieces of evidence over the last decade.
The appeal comes amid a renewed focus on Mr Palmer's life because of the BBC drama series The Gold.
Mr Palmer gained his 'Goldfinger' nickname after being acquitted of handling gold bullion in the £26 million Brink's-Mat raid in 1983, with the show's first season telling the story of the raid.
Detective Superintendent Stephen Jennings said: 'Ten years on from John's death and the pain has not gone away for his family. They still rightly want answers as to who murdered him and why.
'His killing was a brutal, planned execution – he was shot multiple times in the grounds of his own home.
'Over the years there has been much commentary, media coverage and even television programmes speculating about his connections to the underworld, high-profile crimes and his past – but whatever someone's past, John was a father, partner and much loved by his family.
'His murder was callous and calculated.'
Mr Palmer was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2001 for a £33 million timeshare fraud which had 16,000 potential victims.
He was also being investigated by the Spanish authorities and was due to stand trial over alleged property fraud involving properties in Tenerife and Spain in 2017, with several other individuals involved in the scheme subsequently found guilty and sentenced.
Mr Jennings said the the key to solving Mr Palmer's murder 'lies within the underworld' and the force suspected it was linked to the fraud trial.
He added: 'In the years since his death a lot has changed within the criminal fraternity, including loyalties, and people may now feel able to come forward.
'If you do have information please, now, do the right thing, 10 years on John's family must have justice and answers.'
Anyone with information on Mr Palmer's murder should call Essex Police, or contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.