Millionaire Brit gold trader dies in horror crash in front of daughter after motorbike slams head-on into van in Spain
A BRIT millionaire gold trader has died in front of his daughter in a horror head-on crash with a van during a motorbike holiday in Spain.
Paul Gerard Tustain, 62, was killed on a road near the n
orthern Spanish town of Pamplona when his bike strayed onto the wrong side of the road.
6
Paul Tustain, 62, was killed when his motorbike smashed into a van during a tour of Spain
Credit: Solarpix
6
The front of the van was severely crumpled by the crash
Credit: Solarpix
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Tustain's bike had strayed onto the wrong side of the road
Credit: Solarpix
Tustain, originally from Cambridgeshire but who lived in London, was the founder and chairman of BullionVault - the world's largest online bullion investment service.
He also ran WhiskyInvestDirect.com
, which organised bulk crowdfunding of in-barrel Scotch whisky maturation.
He was riding a rented BMW motorbike and smashed head-on with a van on Thursday afternoon.
His daughter was riding on another motorbike behind him, and the pair are understood to have been completing a tour of Spain.
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They were heading for the town of Logrono when the
tragedy happened.
A spokesman for local
police
said: 'The dead man's daughter saw he had strayed onto the wrong side of the road and tried to alert him with hand signals but it was too late.
'He smashed head-on into a van that couldn't do anything to avoid the collision.
'A post mortem will show whether he might have suffered a
health
problem that could have caused him to go onto the wrong side of the road.
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'Otherwise it's likely to have been a fatal distraction. The force of the impact was brutal.'
Emergency services got the call around 1.40pm on Thursday.
Tragic Ferrari Crash: British Couple Die in Spanish Rally Horror
An air ambulance rushed to the scene along with ground medics,
police
and
firefighters - but there was nothing they could do.
The tragedy struck on a stretch of the NA-1110 road between Azketa and Iratxe.
Pictures from the crash scene showed the white van with its front smashed, across the road from the motorbike.
A spokesman for local firefighters said: 'We were called yesterday afternoon about a front-on collision between a motorbike and a van on the NA-1110.
'The man on the motorbike died and the occupants of the van were unharmed.'
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Investigators are considering that Tustain could have suffered a medical episode
Credit: Solarpix
6
There was nothing the van driver could do to avoid the collision
Credit: Solarpix
6
Tustain's daughter was riding behind him and saw the whole thing
Credit: Solarpix
A another emergency-services spokesperson said: 'A motorcyclist died Thursday afternoon after colliding with a van on the NA-1110 road, in the municipality of Iguzquiza
'The emergency management centre received notice of the accident at 13:38 hours on Thursday and sent firefighters to the scene along with a medical team, an advanced life support medicalised ambulance, a basic life support ambulance, a medical helicopter and police traffic patrols.
'The accident occurred when the motorcyclist collided head-on with a van at kilometer point 42.4 of the NA-1110 road.
'The emergency services mobilized could do nothing to save the life of the motorcyclist, a 62 year old man, who died at the scene.
'His body was taken to the Navarra Institute of Legal
Medicine
for an autopsy. A police
investigation
into the accident is underway.'
A BullionVault employee said today: 'We are in shock at Paul's very sudden death.
'We will be releasing a statement in due course but at the moment we are still grieving.
'Our thoughts are very much with Paul's family.'
Before venturing into the finance and investment sector Paul founded SAM Systems which specialised in mid and back office functions of the banking and stockbroking sectors.
Tustain previously told how he got into bullion after seeing
Gordon Brown
selling Britain's gold reserves in 2001.
He was quoted in the Times in 2016 as saying: 'The fool was selling gold every two weeks, they were selling so much that they destroyed the price.
'I eventually bought three of the gold bars; the big chunky ones that
James Bond
tosses around. It was probably the best purchase I ever made.'
He invested £275,000, rustled up from 30 family members and angel investors, to establish BullionVault - a peer-to-peer site that allowed investors to buy small stakes in gold bars.
A decade later it looked after gold worth more than $1.3 billion - equivalent to about 11 per cent of the Treasury's reserves, with a pre-tax profit of nearly £4million.
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The Irish Sun
35 minutes ago
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How ‘hitman' assassin stalked quiet UK island… until bombshell letter unmasked astonishing identity of ‘takeaway killer'
WHEN a single gunshot shattered a peaceful summer evening on the remote island of Orkney, the shockwaves would be felt by the close-knit rural community for decades to come. Families were dining in the island's only Indian restaurant when a masked man calmly walked in and killed 26-year-old waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood at point black range, before vanishing into the night without uttering a single word. 16 The murder scene shows a bullet hole in the wall where Mahmood was shot Credit: Coll MacDougall 16 Waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood was murdered with a single bullet in the Mumataz Indian Restaurant in Kirkwall, Orkney Credit: Amazon 16 The murder continues to divide the remote UK island Credit: Getty 16 Michael Ross in 1994, shortly after he was first questioned over the murder Credit: Collect The Now an astonishing new Amazon Prime documentary, The Orkney Assassin: Murder in the Isles revisits the bizarre case which saw a local schoolboy, Michael Ross, eventually convicted of the murder. Ross, now 46 years old, never took the stand during his trial at the High Court in Glasgow and has never given any interviews or made a statement before. But as the thirtieth anniversary of the crime approached, he agreed to speak to a local reporter from prison in Aberdeen. He and journalist Ethan Flett struck up a friendly rapport and Ross agreed to answer questions that had never been asked - including why he made four Ethan is the only journalist who has been allowed to visit him. He told The Sun: 'Looking into his eyes was a surreal experience. The meeting will stick in my mind for a while. 'Meeting Ross was just bizarre. 'The paradox is that here was this laid back, polite, easy going decent person who has been convicted of murder. 'The strangest thing about him is how normal he is. He's been taking the gym seriously. Horror moment Scots gangster Ross Monaghan is shot dead by hitman at Spanish pub as staff & punters flee in terror 'But we sat chatting in a room which is like any ordinary school cafeteria - except the furniture is bolted to the floor. 'I'd never been inside a prison before, it was just strange. 'When I initially asked Michael for an interview, he wrote straight back because he realised I knew the case quite well. "I have spent a lot of time looking at it, and the cold case review, but when I went to visit I made it clear that I was not in any way interested in campaigning for his innocence or trying to find someone else guilty. 'I had legitimate concerns about the case, and he was happy to proceed on that basis. He told me he was innocent but I wasn't going to take his word for it - he had been found guilty by a jury Ethan Flett 'He had serious concerns about the credibility of certain witnesses, and that various leads and motives had not been looked into properly because he was the prime and only suspect. 'He told me he was innocent but I wasn't going to take his word for it - he had been found guilty by a jury.' Cloud of suspicion The pair spent six months writing back and forth to each other, with Ross responding to each of Ethan's questions in great detail. During the original murder investigation, 2,736 statements were taken, and a pair of witnesses claimed they saw Ross wearing the same balaclava and dark clothing as the murderer in woodland a fortnight earlier. The 15-year-old was called in for questioning, accompanied by his father - a well respected local police officer, Eddy Ross. Ross proclaimed his innocence - claiming he was out for a bike ride that night and his route did not take him anywhere near the murder scene. 16 Ross continues to protest his innocence and has repeatedly tried to escape jail Credit: PA:Press Association 16 Reporter Ethan Flett visited Ross in prison and struck up a rapport Credit: Amazon It was a time before CCTV or mobile phones, and recalling the night of the murder, Ross confided to Ethan: 'I didn't know what the sirens were for at that point, and didn't think much more about it.' Despite the cloud of suspicion hanging over her son, his mother Moira added that he was "just his normal self' that night. Moira, who believes the real killer remains on the loose, later went upstairs to his bedroom: "I said: 'Did you shoot that man?' and he said 'no' and I just can't get over the look on his face when I asked him that." She maintains her son never set foot in the restaurant. Angus Chisholm was the detective inspector for the then Northern Constabulary in Inverness sent to oversee the manhunt. Unaware of the connection, he tasked Eddy with the ballistic side of the investigation. Its focus became the 9mm bullet casing of the single shot which passed through 26 year-old Mr Mahmood's head and became embedded in the wall. Eddy quickly identified the round as one previously used by the British Army. 16 The murder investigation was led by top cop Angus Chisholm Credit: Amazon 16 Ross with his parents Eddy and Moira during a prison visit in 2012 Credit: Supplied And as the inquiry continued a reconstruction of the murder featured on the BBC's Crimewatch UK. But, unlike most TV appeals, detectives had no description of the gunman. Locals wrestled with various theories but inquiries on the island and in the waiter's native Bangladesh drew a blank. Two months later, Eddy confessed that he had discovered a box of the same 9mm bullets used in the murder - in his own home. In a jaw-dropping revelation, the father-of-three claimed he had been given the box - which was still sealed - by a pal who was a former marine. 16 The Scorpion machine pistol weapon was found in the car hired by Ross Credit: PA:Press Association But when questioned, his friend Jim Spence said he had given Eddy two boxes - one sealed and one half full. In a separate development, a mother and daughter reported they had seen a masked male acting suspiciously in nearby Papdale Woods - and named him as PC Ross' son Michael. Eddy said later: "Basically from that point in time the finger was pointing towards us." But evidence mounted against Michael when cops searched the family home. 'Death to the English' They found school books with Nazi swastikas drawn over them, scribbles saying 'Death to the English' and SS symbols. Although Mahmood had only been on the island for six weeks, and had no known enemies, his family insisted the shooting was racially motivated. Then, in December, Ross was arrested and admitted dropping his balaclava into the sea with a heavy stone attached. But Chisholm said the teenager was unfazed by the gravity of the allegations. 16 The letter sent by witness William Grant led to the enquiry being reopened Credit: Collect 16 Ross was given a further five years for trying to flee court after the verdict Credit: Northpix He recalled: "He was cool, calm and collected." Although there was not enough evidence to charge Ross, the investigation left Eddy's 23 year police career in ruins - he was charged with perverting the course of justice and jailed for three years. Meanwhile Ross left school at the age of 17 and joined his father's old regiment, the Black Watch, progressing through the ranks and eventually becoming the sergeant of a sniper platoon. He married, had two daughters and was even mentioned in dispatches for showing bravery when comrades were killed during a tour of Iraq. And while he remained free, the troubling tale slipped into obscurity. I promise that I saw the person who killed the Indian waiter William Grant But in 2006, 12 years after the murder, the cold case took a fresh twist when an anonymous letter was handed in to the local police station. This was the breakthrough that would lead to Ross's downfall. A new witness, local man William Grant, claimed he saw the killer coming out of a public toilet cubicle on the night of the murder, brandishing a gun. The shock revelation led to Ross's arrest. 'It was disbelief again,' he told Ethan. Hallmarks of professional hit Ross maintained his innocence, and Leah Seator, editor of The Orcadian, said many people on the island thought Ross would walk free. His lawyer argued it was unthinkable that a teenager could have carried out the killing - it had the hallmarks of a professional hit. Prosecutor Brian McConnachie said the case has had a lasting impact on the community which remains divided over his guilt. "I suspect it still does affect people. "I think there's always going to be two sides." 16 Prosecutor Brian McConnachie said the case still divides the island Credit: Amazon 16 The victim's brother Abul Shafuddin Mahmood maintains the murder was racially motivated Credit: Orkney Photographic Archive 16 Witnesses reported seeing the killer in Papdale Woods close to the scene Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd McConnachie described the high profile case as "challenging" but on 20 June 2008 the jury took just four hours to return a guilty verdict - only for the moment to be overshadowed by an audacious escape attempt. As he was about to be led away Ross dramatically knocked over a security guard, and jumped out of the dock. He yanked open a side door and ran, but was tackled by a court official. It later emerged that he had parked a rental car two miles from the court, containing a Skorpion machine pistol with 542 rounds of ammunition - which he had smuggled back from Kosovo - as well as an air rifle, hand grenade, smoke grenades, a sleeping bag, camping equipment and survival gear. There's something unnerving about what was contained within the car Brian McConnachie KC McConnachie added: "If you are trying to look for things that point towards guilt, then you might look at the circumstances of the last day of the trial, and the motor vehicle that he had and the things he had in them when he tried to escape from the court - never mind trying to escape from the prison. "There's something unnerving about what was contained within the car." When Ross returned to court four months later, amid heightened security, he was sentenced to 25 years plus a further five for his bid to flee. 16 Ross's friend Susan Robinson joined the campaign for his release Credit: Michael Schofield - The Sun Glasgow In that time, he has made three further attempts to escape from custody in one of Scotland's highest security prisons. In 2014, he tried to break out of a security van on the way to hospital and, in 2016, he stole an angle grinder from the prison workshop, replacing it with a wooden replica. Most recently, in 2018, the former soldier tried to scale the perimeter fence of a sports field at HMP Shotts in Lanarkshire, using a rope ladder he fashioned. 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'He says that he did it to garner a bit of publicity for his claims of innocence, and says that he would have surrendered to the authorities if he were successful. 'He admitted to saying racist things as a teenager, but claimed that it was immaturity that he regretted. 'He has expressed sorrow in an open letter to the victim's family but he does not think it would be appropriate to speak to them directly. 'There's still so much interest in this case from Orkney people, so the story is ongoing.' While the victim's family feel justice has been served, Ross's supporters have set up a petition to clear his name. The shadow of doubt still divides opinion in Orkney to this day. The Orkney Assassin is streaming on Prime Video now.
The Journal
2 hours ago
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Extra.ie
3 hours ago
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Ballymena: PSNI use water cannon as thugs throw petrol bombs
Police came under attack as violent disorder erupted for a second night in a row in Northern Ireland on Tuesday. Multiple cars and properties were set on fire in Ballymena while rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannons as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. In a statement, the PSNI said calm had been restored in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas by around 1am on Wednesday. The force said there had also been 'sporadic disorder' in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest in the day which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Police respond to a second night of violence in Ballymena , as people take part in a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town. Pic: Wednesday June 11, 2025. The Prime Minister's official spokesman described those events – which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted – as 'very concerning'. A senior police officer condemned the disorder as 'racist thuggery'. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson issued a public appeal for information and said the PSNI was actively working to identify those responsible for the 'racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice'. He said the service would deploy significant resources to any further disorder during the week. On Tuesday evening, riot police were deployed to residential streets around Clonavon Terrace on Tuesday as hundreds of people gathered in the area from approximately 7pm. The PSNI formed barricades while officers wearing armour and shields also responded to the disorder. Some masked protesters shouted abuse and threw objects at the police, including fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal. The PSNI advised those present to disperse and warned that water cannon would be deployed against those participating in violent activity. Police fired plastic baton rounds at some of those gathered and also used water cannons to disperse the crowd. Many young children were present among those gathered near police lines. As rioters were dispersed into other parts of the town as the evening progressed into night, a property on Bridge Street and a home on Queen Street were set on fire. A burned out car in Ballymena , as people take part in a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town. Picture date: Wednesday June 11, 2025. Other properties had windows smashed as some residents chose to display signs about the nationalities of those normally resident, including one saying 'British household' and another with 'Filipino lives here'. Multiple cars were also set on fire as part of blazes set by rioters, including near a car wash and tyre centre off Bridge Street and on Larne Street. The clothing of at least one participant caught fire during the disorder. The PSNI cleared streets and allowed gaps in its barricades for firefighters to tackle fires in the town as chaotic scenes continued past midnight. Officers also used a drone as part of the response to illegal activity, which saw some rioters kick in doors and ransack homes. The Northern Ireland Secretary has said there is 'no justification' for attacks on police officers or vandalism. In a social media post, Hilary Benn said: 'The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland. 'There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at people's homes or property.' During Monday's disorder, 15 police officers were injured and several PSNI vehicles were damaged. In Clonavon Terrace, several houses had their windows smashed and two which suffered significant smoke damage remained sealed off on Tuesday. A 29-year-old man was charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested on Monday night. Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage. Police used water cannon to disperse protesters engaged in serious disorder for a second night in Ballymena , as fireworks and masonry were thrown at officers. Picture date: Wednesday June 11, 2025. The earlier peaceful protest formed in support of the family of the girl. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Tuesday, the PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with the incident and reiterated a public appeal for information. Detective Inspector Olphert from the PSNI's public protection branch said: 'A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday evening, Monday June 9. 'He has been unconditionally released from police custody following questioning.' At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Henderson said the attacks should be 'loudly condemned by all right-thinking people'. 'Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced,' he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station earlier on Tuesday. He said members of the minority ethnic community 'felt fear' and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. 'Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities. 'PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured.'
