JOHN “Goldfinger” Palmer was gunned down in a hail of bullets at the only spot of his country home not covered by CCTV cameras, The Sun can reveal.
The convicted timeshare fraudster and Brink’s-Mat smelter was shot dead after riding a quad bike to a bins area by the front gates of his remote house.
Palmer, 65, was dropping off rubbish from a trailer attached to the bike when a gunman hiding out of view of cameras opened fire.
Police initially missed the fact he had been shot six times, believing he had died from natural causes.
Detectives now feel it could be “significant” that the bins area was the only location in Palmer’s two-and-a-half acre wooded grounds that were not being watched by sophisticated webcam monitors.
Also, when Palmer was shot at teatime on June 24 last year, his two Rottweilers were inside the house.
A source told The Sun: “It suggests the killer had some degree of inside knowledge about the lay-out of the property and its security.”
Palmer was shot in the back, arms and chest by a low-calibre gun with a silencer. His killer is thought to have fired through a fence while hiding in public woods several hundred yards from a main road.
Palmer was found unconscious shortly before 6.30pm by his 25-year-old son James.
His mother Christina Ketley, Palmer’s long-term partner, was out at the time.
The bullets used were designed to fragment internally on impact and his external wounds were not clearly visible.
But The Sun can now reveal a trainee paramedic at the scene suggested Palmer had been shot.
However, he was overruled by a senior colleague who believed Palmer died from complications caused by keyhole gall bladder surgery and the exertion of being on a quad bike.
A young police officer was also present, but did not take further action after being told by paramedics the death was from natural causes.
The junior bobby was unaware of the dead man’s criminal history — or that law enforcement colleagues from the UK’s National Crime Agency and Spanish police had bugged the house.
Despite being assured he died from natural causes, Palmer’s death was still a “bolt from the blue” for his family.
The Sunday before he died, he spent Father’s Day with James and daughters Ella, 38, and Sarah, 31, from his marriage to wife Marnie.
One family friend said: “John seemed to be recovering well from his operation and was apparently on very good form that day.’’
The truth only emerged six days after the shooting at his home in South Weald, near Brentwood, Essex.
A post-mortem requested by senior Essex Police officers to ensure no foul play was involved revealed the true nature of Palmer’s death.
A mass of intelligence gleaned from the surveillance operation on “Goldfinger” and his international associates has failed to point to his killer.
A month before he died, Palmer had been charged by Spanish authorities with new timeshare fraud and money laundering claims.
He was jointly accused over the alleged conspiracy with Ms Ketley, nephews Andrew Palmer and Darren Morris, and seven others.
Last August, the day before Palmer’s funeral, 43-year-old nephew Mr Morris was arrested on suspicion of his murder. Mr Morris, of Rugby, was then bailed with a condition not to travel to Brentwood.
It meant he was unable to attend his uncle’s funeral in the town. A family friend said: “The atmosphere was dreadful between Christina and John’s relatives, who wanted him buried in a family plot in Birmingham.
“There were police officers mingling with mourners, who were all shocked by Darren’s arrest. A small wake was held in a pub. It was a terrible day.”
Police informed Mr Morris last November that no further action was being taken against him, leaving the murder hunt back at square one.
This Thursday detectives will be appearing on BBC1’s Crimewatch UK to appeal for information about the murder.
The Sun has learned that in the weeks before his death, Palmer was “agitated” about his security and taking careful precautions when visiting Tenerife, where his family still has business interests.
Ms Ketley and son James have a bar and a restaurant there.
In his heyday, Palmer owned 11 timeshare resorts in Tenerife and had a personal fortune estimated at £300million.
The Birmingham-born tycoon stumbled across the timeshare business while on the run in Tenerife for smelting stolen Brink’s-Mat bullion.
His wife Marnie returned to England while he began a relationship with medical secretary Ms Ketley.
But in 2001 he was jailed at the Old Bailey for eight years for swindling British timeshare buyers.
Palmer was due to fly to Tenerife for a legal meeting the week after he was shot.
Friends dismiss claims he planned to “roll over” on co-defendants and his death remains unsolved.
One friend said: “John’s family have almost given up hope anyone will be caught. They believe the answer to his murder lies in Tenerife but can’t work out why someone would kill him in Essex.”
1. The assasin shot Palmer six times through a fence with a silenced, low-calibre gun
2. Police thought blood on the body was from an op rather than gunshots
3. Palmerr’s guard dogs were locked in the house - as usual - at the time of the attack
THE mother of John Palmer’s secret love child told The Sun last night: “Now they will never see each other again.”
Palmer fathered son, Parisch, now 23, during a relationship with German student Saskia David-Mundinger.
Saskia, 46, said of his death: “It is horrible John was murdered. Nobody informed us about his death.”
Saskia worked as a promoter for Palmer in Tenerife in 1990.
After becoming pregnant, she returned to Germany to give birth to Parisch in 1992.
She said: “John was shaking when Parisch was born and loving when he saw him. He was proud and made his brother, Malcolm, Parisch’s godfather.”
Saskia, who still lives in Germany, added: “John has been portrayed as a bad man. But with us he was a very kind, lovely man.”
However, Saskia pulled away when he broke his promises to see his son. She added: “When Parisch was six I asked John not to see him as it was breaking his heart when he didn’t turn up.”
She obtained a High Court order for maintenance from Palmer, but did not receive a penny after he was made bankrupt following his 2001 fraud conviction.
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