Ten years after the brutal murder of John "Goldfinger" Palmer, Essex Police have renewed their appeal for information, hoping to finally bring justice to the family of the notorious criminal. Palmer, 65, was shot six times in the garden of his woodland mansion in South Weald, Brentwood, Essex, on the evening of June 24, 2015. Despite a decade of investigations, his killer remains unidentified.
John Palmer's nickname, "Goldfinger," stems from his alleged involvement in the infamous 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery, one of the largest gold heists in British history. During the robbery, armed criminals stole £26 million worth of gold bullion, diamonds, and cash from a warehouse near London Heathrow Airport. Although Palmer admitted to melting down gold bars from the robbery, he was acquitted at an Old Bailey trial in 1987 after claiming he was unaware the gold was stolen. Nevertheless, the Metropolitan Police continued to investigate him for years afterward.
In the years following the trial, Palmer amassed an estimated fortune of £300 million, investing in mansions, helicopters, restaurants, a £750,000 yacht, and classic cars. However, his criminal past caught up with him when, in 2001, he was jailed for eight years for conspiracy to defraud. He had scammed approximately 16,000 couples out of millions of pounds through timeshare fraud schemes in Tenerife during the 1990s.
In the weeks leading up to his murder, Palmer and ten others faced charges related to a real estate fraud in Tenerife, where thousands of people were conned out of an estimated £30 million. Spanish prosecutors charged him with fraud, firearms possession, and money laundering in May 2015, just a month before his death. The trial for this case concluded years after Palmer's murder, with several co-defendants found guilty and sentenced.
On the day of his death, Palmer was seen on garden CCTV pottering about his home, burning rubbish around 5:30 PM. Essex Police believe a professional hitman had been watching Palmer through a hole carved in the wooden fence surrounding his property in the days before the murder. The killer reportedly scaled the fence and shot Palmer six times at the only spot not covered by CCTV.
Remarkably, two police officers initially assessed Palmer's death as non-suspicious, attributing his wounds to recent gall bladder surgery he had undergone a week earlier. However, a post-mortem examination on June 30, 2015, revealed he had been shot in the chest, abdomen, arm, elbow, back, and kidneys. The two officers later faced disciplinary action for their failure to conduct thorough background checks and properly examine the body.
After being shot, Palmer managed to walk a short distance toward his house before collapsing. He was found unconscious by his son and his son's girlfriend, who called for help. Despite medical efforts, Palmer died from his injuries.
Detective Superintendent Stephen Jennings of the Essex and Kent Serious Crime Directorate described the murder as a "brutal, planned execution." He emphasized that, despite Palmer's criminal history, he was a father and partner, deeply loved by his family. "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," Jennings said.
Police recovered a bullet from the scene, but the investigation has yet to yield a definitive suspect or motive. Over the years, there have been arrests and interviews, including a 43-year-old man from Rugby, Warwickshire, questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder in 2015 but released without charge. In 2017, a 50-year-old man from Tyneside living in southern Spain was voluntarily interviewed on suspicion of murder but faced no further action.
Det Supt Jennings believes the key to solving Palmer's murder lies within the criminal underworld and suspects the killing may have been linked to the Tenerife fraud trial. "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," he said. The hope is that shifting alliances and the passage of time will encourage witnesses or insiders to share information that could finally crack the case.
Palmer's story has captured public imagination not only because of his criminal exploits but also due to the dramatic and unresolved nature of his death. The 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery and its aftermath have been portrayed in popular media, including the BBC series "The Gold," starring Hugh Bonneville, Jack Lowden, and Dominic Cooper, which has run for two series. This dramatization has renewed interest in Palmer's life and the mysteries surrounding his demise.
Despite the media spotlight and extensive investigations, the question remains: who killed John "Goldfinger" Palmer and why? The answer lies somewhere in the murky intersections of high-profile crime, underworld loyalties, and long-standing grudges. As the tenth anniversary of his death passes, Essex Police are urging anyone with information to come forward. They can contact Essex Police on 101 or reach Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555 111 or via the website crimestoppers-uk.org.
Palmer's murder remains a chilling reminder of the violent consequences that can follow a life steeped in crime, and his family’s enduring quest for justice underscores the human cost behind the headlines. As Det Supt Jennings put it, "If you do have information, please, now, do the right thing, ten years on John’s family must have justice and answers."
