'Goldfinger' murder investigation dismissed as a joke

John 'Goldfinger' Palmer Credit: PA

A former Flying Squad commander has criticised police for taking six days to launch a murder investigation after notorious British criminal John 'Goldfinger' Palmer was shot dead.

The body of Palmer was discovered by his family at an address in South Weald near Brentwood, on June 24. Essex Police initially recorded his death as not suspicious.

But a post-mortem examination carried out on Tuesday determined the cause of death was gunshot wounds to the chest.

Former Metropolitan Police chief John O'Connor accused Essex Police being "utterly incompetent".

  • Palmer was cleared of handling proceeds from the #26 million Brink's-Mat bullion raid at Heathrow in 1983, but his alleged involvement earned him the nickname 'Goldfinger'.

  • In 2001 he was jailed for timeshare fraud, after building a multimillion-pound business that cheated thousands of Britons who wanted a holiday home in the sun

  • Palmer had spent the last eight years on bail following his arrest in Tenerife in 2007, where he was charged with fraud, firearm possession and money laundering