Notorious 'Goldfinger' Conman Found Shot Dead

A murder investigation has been opened into the death of a notorious timeshare fraudster who was nicknamed "Goldfinger".

John Palmer, 64, was found dead by his family in South Weald, Brentwood, on 24 June but paramedics did not realise he had been shot because he had had open-heart surgery.

A post-mortem examination found he had gunshot wounds to the chest prompting a murder inquiry.

Palmer was cleared of handling proceeds from Britain's most notorious gold robbery at the Brink's-Mat warehouse in Heathrow in 1983, but his alleged involvement earned him the nickname "Goldfinger".

The raid saw six armed men break into the warehouse expecting to find £3m in cash but instead stumbled on 7,000 gold ingots worth nearly £28m.

In 2001, he was jailed for timeshare fraud after building a multimillion-pound business that cheated 17,000 Britons out of money they had paid for homes in 13 resorts in Tenerife.

It was described as "the largest timeshare fraud on record".

At one point he was ranked 105th on the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated £300m fortune.

Palmer was arrested again in Tenerife in 2007 where he was charged with fraud, firearm possession and money laundering.

He had been on bail ever since but earlier this year it was reported that he faced 15 years in a Spanish prison.

DCI Simon Werrett, who is leading the murder investigation, said: "My team would like to speak to anybody who was around Sandpit Lane between 4pm and 6pm on Wednesday June 24. The area is rural but is often used by dog walkers and joggers.

"Did you see any people or suspicious vehicles in the area? Did you witness anything out of the ordinary?"

Anyone with information should contact Essex Police on 01245 282103.