"But it was five agonising days before Essex Police showed up.

Palmer also had a long standing association with Hatton Garden ringleader, Brian Reader, who was jailed for nine years for helping to smelt down gold from the Brink’s-Mat robbery. John 'Goldfinger' Palmer was once thought to be Britain's richest criminalA spyhole believed to have been scratched in the garden fence by Palmer's killer They were kept in a security box at the Hatton Garden deposit.' News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services.The underworld kingpin's life of violence and crime ended when he was shot dead by a mystery assassinGANGLAND boss John ‘Goldfinger’ Palmer had 16,000 reasons to die when he was shot dead outside his Essex home, according to cops.The underworld kingpin's life of violence and crime ended three years ago when he was killed in his garden by a mystery assassin who has never been found.Police have said there could have been 16,000 fraud victims of his who would have had a motive to kill him.Palmer went from market trader to multi-millionaire via fraud, racketeering and money laundering – most notoriously from melting down gold bars from the £26million Brink’s-Mat robbery in 1983.Now Palmer’s estranged wife Marnie, who lives in the West Country, has written the amazing story of her life with Britain’s No1 crook.She said: "Detectives refer to it as the “golden hour” — the time immediately after the discovery of a body in a murder investigation when they are most likely to find the best clues. "Over the years a number of these rumours have been found to be untrue or based wholly in speculation. At his 1987 trial Palmer was found not guilty of handling Brinks Mat gold, even though he admitted melting it in his back garden, because he claimed not to know it was stolen.Noye was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his handling of the stolen gold. Five years to the day after he was gunned down in his own garden in South Weald, Essex, police have … Palmer knew Hatton crook … Pictured: Palmer at Heathrow Airport surrounded by officersOfficers initially thought the bleeding was related to gallbladder surgery. "More than two years on, the murder of John Palmer remains an active investigation.“No unsolved case is ever closed and we remain committed to catching those responsible for Mr Palmer’s death to find answers for his devastated family.“Since the enquiry began we have taken more than 220 statements from witnesses, traced 85 vehicles and looked at in excess of 1,400 documents. Palmer also told friends he wanted to expose police corruption and he was said to be under surveillance.Russian gangsters were also said to be moving in on Palmer’s Canary Isles timeshare scam – with which he had already created a potential 16,000 enemies who had been ripped off.Palmer was thought to be preparing to turn supergrass against former associates. I’ve heard it said that if you have bought a gold necklace made since then, the chances are that a significant percentage of it comes from that raid, and was melted down in our back garden. Noye started off sending a few ingots, before steadily increasing the amounts over a matter of weeks.Soon it was coming down the M4 thick and fast. Palmer was sentenced to eight years in jail for the fraud in 2001, but continued to run it from his prison cell.When he was released it is believed he was forced to make some dangerous alliances with members of the Russian mafia who were taking over his territory.In the weeks before his death in 2015, Palmer, along with 10 others, was charged by Spanish police in connection with the Tenerife fraud.Rumours have circulated that he was about to cut a deal with prosecutors to have the charges dropped in return for giving evidence and was killed by a hitman to stop him talking.Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Jennings, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, who is leading the inquiry into Palmer's murder, said that over time loyalties in underworld circles change and that someone might now be willing to come forward.