Man flies from Spain to help Essex police with their enquiries

A REPORT on the Essex Police Facebook site has revealed that a 50-year-old man who lives in Southern Spain has returned to the UK to make a voluntary statement to the police concerning the murder in 2015 of convicted fraudster John Palmer.

Nicknamed ‘Goldfinger’ because of his involvement in melting down some of the gold stolen from the infamous Brinks-Mat robbery, Palmer was in his garden when shot but initial investigations did not spot the gunshot wound as he had previously experienced open-heart surgery.

He was awaiting trial for fraud, firearm possession and money laundering after being arrested in his second home in Tenerife.

Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Jennings of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: “I am satisfied that Mr Palmer’s murder bears all the hallmarks of a professional contract killing involving organised crime.”

“Extensive public appeals have yet to provide information which has been able to assist my team in bringing any charges against the person or people responsible for Mr Palmer’s death.”

“It has been widely reported that Mr Palmer had been involved in crime both in the UK and Europe and I continue to examine the links between his lifestyle and the manner in which he was killed.”

No charges have been laid against any party to date.