DETECTIVES were last night investigating whether John “Goldfinger” Palmer’s murder was linked to the curse of the Brink’s-Mat robbery.
The shooting of the 64-year-old is the latest in a long line of killings of those involved in 1983’s infamous £26million bullion raid.
Much of the stolen gold remains missing and has sparked a feud which continues to this day.
It fuels suspicion Palmer was killed by someone he crossed over the robbery.
Another Brink’s-Mat gold handler, mini cab boss Brian Perry, was shot dead aged 63 in Bermondsey, South London, in November 2001.
One more suspect, courier firm owner George Francis, was gunned down in May 2003 as he sat in his car in South East London.
Although cops do not suspect these two murders were connected to Brink’s-Mat, their deaths were examples of the curse which has hit so many caught up in the Heathrow warehouse robbery.
The Sun can reveal Palmer, who was once worth £300million and made The Sunday Times Rich List, had been in fear of his life for at least five years.
And until recently he was under the protection of gangland enforcer Patsy Adams.
But Palmer’s safety was put in peril after Adams, 59, went on the run with his wife over claims he shot an ex-gang henchman in 2013.
One well-informed source told The Sun: “Without Patsy around, Palmer was vulnerable. A lot of people wanted him dead because he cheated so many people over the years.
“But with Patsy looking after him, nobody would dare make a move. It’s no coincidence he’s been murdered now he had no protection.”
. He was found dead in the back garden of his remote home he shares with partner Christine Ketley in Brentwood, Essex, last Wednesday.
Cops initially said his death was caused by complications from recent heart surgery.
But The Sun revealed a post-mortem on Tuesday established he died from gunshot wounds to the chest.
One source said: “The list of people who wanted him dead was endless. It will be a tough case to crack.”
Birmingham-born Palmer started off with jewellery shops in Bristol, Bath and Cardiff which specialised in buying scrap gold.
He became one of Britain’s richest men on the back of smelting Brink’s-Mat gold bars sent to him by middle man Kenny Noye. Until 1984, he was also a partner in bullion firm Scadlynn which was involved in buying around half of the Brink’s-Mat gold and re-selling it to the gold market.
To change its appearance, Palmer smelted down the gold in a furnace hidden in a shed behind his mansion in Lansdown, outside Bath.
Palmer was acquitted of handling stolen bullion at the Old Bailey in 1987.
He left Britain and went on to build a £300million fortune with a massive timeshare con in Tenerife. He lived a jet-set lifestyle with homes in Britain, Tenerife and a French chateau.
Palmer’s downfall began in 1994 when TV’s Cook report filmed him offering to launder £641million a year for Burmese heroin traffickers.
Palmer was finally jailed at the Old Bailey in 2001 for timeshare fraud after cheating money out of 17,000 Brits.
But the arrogant conman continued to run his operations from his Long Lartin prison cell and in 2007 he was arrested by Spanish police on fraud and money laundering allegations. Earlier this year he was charged with offences for which he faced 15 years’ jail.
Palmer was also probed over the 2006 murders of ex workers Billy and Flo Robinson in Tenerife.
He spent his last few years travelling between Britain and Tenerife.
Victims of curse
By JACK ROYSTON
THE legacy of the Brink’s-Mat raid has persisted for more than 30 years with many people apparently linked to it being murdered.
—DANIEL MORGAN, a private detective who investigated the 1983 robbery, was axed to death in a South London pub car park in 1987.
—CHARLIE WILSON, one of the Great Train Robbers, was shot in Spain in 1990 after £3million of Brink’s investors’ cash went missing in a drug deal.
—JOEY WILKINS was a vice king who grassed on Kenneth Noye. He died mysteriously in 2007 after an apparent robbery on the Costa del Sol.
—NICK WHITING, a suspected grass and known associate of Kenny Noye, was stabbed nine times and shot twice in 1990. His body was dumped in Essex.
—DONALD URQUHART was a money launderer who was shot in West London in 1995. It was speculated he was linked to helping launder Brink’s proceeds.
—JON BRISTOW, 39, a builder who was shot and dumped in chains in the sea at Sheerness, Kent, in 2000. He knew one of the Brink’s robbers.
—BRIAN PERRY, a Brink’s gang associate, was shot aged 63 in Bermondsey, South London, in 2001. He recruited Noye to dispose of some of the gold.
—GEORGE FRANCIS, 63, was a Brink’s gang member who was gunned down in his car outside his courier business in South East London in 2003.
—JOHN FORDHAM, 45, an undercover detective, was stabbed to death by Noye in the grounds of the villain’s Kent mansion in 1985 during surveillance.
Reign of terror for years in Tenerife
By ANTONELLA LAZZERI
LOUNGING back in his chair, his arm around a young, attractive blonde he looked every inch the wealthy playboy.
The chunky gold watch on his wrist was the only nod to his nickname.
Extending his hand he said: “John, nice to meet you.” This encounter with John Palmer in a Tenerife restaurant was my first — and by then he was in control of a multi-million pound timeshare empire.
Years later we would meet again at the Old Bailey at the Brink’s-Mat trial, and over the years I was The Sun’s Spanish correspondent our paths crossed a few times. Palmer controlled much of Tenerife during the 1990s. His reach was powerful and terrifying.
One rival timeshare tout I knew on the Costa Del Sol bore a huge scar, where one of Palmer’s henchmen bit a chunk out of his cheek.
Several others just vanished or died in mysterious circumstances.
Investigating his fraud was nerve-racking. A freelance reporter and photographer were once viciously attacked.
He seemed untouchable and there were rumours he was paying off cops.
But as timeshare laws were tightened by the EU, Palmer’s control weakened. Eventually his shadow was lifted from the island forever.
Blow for pal Noye
PALMER’S death is a blow to his old partner Kenny Noye — already reeling from a setback in his bid for freedom.
The Sun can reveal a parole board hearing due in May was cancelled and will not happen until late August at the earliest.
Noye, 68, who was jailed in 2000 for a road rage murder, is said to have lost a fortune in poor investments and relied on the prospect of financial help from Palmer.
Parole hearings are cancelled if inmates are under new criminal investigation.