Latest news with #Brink's-Mat
Spectator
3 days ago
- Business
- Spectator
Why we still lust after gold
On Tuesday, as the world teetered on the brink of war in the Middle East, the Financial Times' front page focused on the possibility that holders of gold from France and Germany were considering moving their investments out of New York due to Donald Trump's erratic policy shifts and general global turbulence. We are regularly told that the only safe way to preserve and save our wealth in the event of a total financial and economic collapse is to buy gold. Gold has long been the basis of national currencies, and even in the age of bitcoin it retains its age-old attraction, summed up in the phrases 'gold standard' or 'gilt-edged'. Meanwhile, the current hit drama series on terrestrial TV this month is simply titled The Gold – a fictionalised account of the aftermath of the Brink's-Mat bullion robbery in 1983, when villains made off with £26 million in gold (worth £111 million today), along with diamonds and cash from a warehouse at Heathrow. The most bizarre true crime story this year was surely the theft of a solid-gold working toilet from Blenheim Palace – birthplace of Winston Churchill and seat of the Duke of Marlborough. The thieves simply loaded the loo into the back of a van and drove it away. The toilet – temporarily housed at the palace for an art exhibition – is now thought to have been melted down into more manageable ingots, and has been replaced at Blenheim by a less valuable gold-painted replica for visitors to try out. Another, more dignified, gold artefact to have vanished without trace was the gold rosary carried by the Catholic martyr Mary, Queen of Scots at her execution in 1587. The precious relic was stolen from Arundel Castle in West Sussex, seat of the Duke of Norfolk, in May 2021 and has never been recovered. Just what is so attractive about gold, and what makes it a fundamental, lasting hallmark of value in an unstable and ever-changing world? Gold has been a prized commodity for creating coins and jewellery for thousands of years, valued by cultures as varied as ancient Egypt and the Aztecs of Mexico, and used for purposes sacred and profane – from the beautiful mask of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun to the gold dildoes popular with ladies at the licentious court of Charles II. It is a most adaptable metal – malleable, ductile and easily smelted – as well as being rather rare. But its major attraction is surely that it is so easy on the eye. Shiny and bright as it is, all that glitters may not be gold, but real gold has no equal. During a youthful moment of drunken bravado, I had my nipples painted with gold leaf by a female gilder who helped restore Windsor Castle after the 1993 fire Gold really came into its own during the 19th century when major deposits were discovered in California, Australia and South Africa, causing rushes of thousands of hopeful amateur miners and panners, on the slim chance of staking a profitable claim and making their fortunes. At around the same time, nations began to collect vast reserves of gold, which became the basis for assessing their gross wealth – the aforesaid 'gold standard'. Stories like Treasure Island further boosted the mystique of gold, and these days detectorists now roam the land with their beeping devices in search of hoards of gold buried by unknown hands many centuries ago. My own relationship with gold is shadowy. On my 18th birthday, my mother gave me her mother's gold wedding ring, which has adorned my little finger ever since (and will be there till I die, as I can no longer remove it). Mum's own wedding ring, however, was made from platinum – a dull metal that looks like lead, and which may have more cash value but has none of gold's blingy glamour. More intimately, during a youthful moment of drunken bravado, I had my nipples painted with gold leaf by a female gilder who helped restore Windsor Castle after the 1993 fire. The royals prefer gold to platinum for their wedding rings, which are traditionally made from the Welsh gold first discovered and mined by the conquering Romans. Gold is still good – but it shouldn't be forgotten that even if you find pots of it at the end of a rainbow, you can't eat the stuff.
South Wales Guardian
24-06-2025
- South Wales Guardian
Police seek ‘answers' on criminal John Palmer's killer 10 years on
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.
Glasgow Times
23-06-2025
- Glasgow Times
Police seek ‘answers' on criminal John Palmer's killer 10 years on
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.' A spyhole was found by police in Mr Palmer's garden fence (Essex Police/PA) 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.
North Wales Chronicle
23-06-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
Police seek ‘answers' on criminal John Palmer's killer 10 years on
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.
Leader Live
23-06-2025
- Leader Live
Police seek ‘answers' on criminal John Palmer's killer 10 years on
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.
