Latest news with #Brink's-Mat
The Irish Sun
19-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Road rage killer Kenneth Noye spotted with son for first time since he was freed from prison after brutal M25 murder
ROAD rage killer Kenneth Noye has been spotted out with his son for the first time - after his crimes were glamourized in BBC drama The Gold. The infamous gangland villain was seen chatting with eldest child Kevin Tremain while walking by his home near Sevenoaks, in Kent. Advertisement 11 Road rage killer Kenneth Noye has been spotted out with his son for the first time 11 The 78-year-old is believed to live in a flat inside a block owned by son Kevin 11 Noye murdered Stephen Cameron, 21, in a road-rage row in 1996 Noye, 78, and builder Tremain, 52, wore near identical outfits in matching jackets and jeans as they appeared to be hunting for properties. An onlooker said: 'Noye seemed to be very much still in touch with his eldest child and taking an active role in his life after being released from prison. 'It appeared they were looking at properties and pointing out at different buildings, which could be linked to Kevin running a local property development firm. 'They looked like they were deep in conversation before later returning to the car park and driving off in a black Mercedes 4x4. Advertisement Read More 'Other people who crossed their paths were oblivious it was Noye despite his past being highlighted again in the BBC show.' Noye, who had sons Kevin and Brett with ex-wife Brenda Tremain, is believed to live in a flat inside a block owned by Kevin. But the notorious gangster once ran his criminal enterprise in the 1980s, while lavishing in a £5.3million six-bed manor house. Noye used the 8,500 sq ft mock Tudor property in West Kingsdown, Kent, to hide bullion stolen in Advertisement Most read in The Sun Breaking Exclusive The robbery has gone down as one of the most notorious crimes in British history. On November 26, 1982, six armed robbers forced their way into the Kenneth Noye speaks on camera for first time since being freed from jail But instead they discovered a treasure trove containing around £26m in gold bullion and diamonds. The eye-watering haul took them some two hours to load all of the gold onto their van. Advertisement At 8.30am, one of the security guards alerted the police, but by this stage the gang were long gone. It is thought the gang melted the gold down, adding copper to it to hid the purity, enabling them to sell the gold on. 11 Noye and builder Tremain, 52, wore near identical outfits 11 The notorious criminal was released from jail in 2019 Advertisement 11 Stephen Cameron was murdered by Noye in 1996 Credit: PA:Press Association Some have suggested that if you have bought any gold jewellery since 1996, the chances are, you were wearing Brink's-Mat gold. It is believed the stolen gold was to finance many criminal empires in the years to follow, including the country's booming property market. Three years later, Noye killed DC John Fordham in its 20-acre grounds. Advertisement He stabbed the covert officer ten times with a bread knife after finding him dressed in combat gear and a balaclava. Remarkably, he was found not guilty for the murder with the jury acquitting him after deciding he acted in self-defence. He would later be convicted for his part in the Brink's Mat robbery, for conspiracy to handle the stolen gold and sentenced to 14 years in prison. Where are gangsters from the Brink's-Mat robbery now? Micky McAvoy Thought by police to be the mastermind of the robbery, Micky McAvoy was arrested ten days after the heist. He was sentenced to 25 years for part in the Brink's-Mat job in 1984. McAvoy had tried to strike a deal with the prosecutors in the case when he offered to pay back his share, but by this stage, the money had disappeared. In 1995, he was ordered by the court to pay back £27,488,299, laying the entire stash his responsibility. He was released on parole in 2000, after his release, McAvoy moved to Spain where he died in January 2023 after a long battle with cancer. McAvoy was 71-years-old at the time of his death. Brian Robinson It was only in December 1983 that Brian Robinson was arrested, after he was named by the security guard Tony Black. The "inside man" and security guard on the day of the robbery was none other than the brother-in-law of Robinson. Brian Robinson was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was released in 2000, after serving 16 years of his term. Robinson died in a London nursing home in 2022, following a lengthy illness, he was 78-years-old at the time of his death. John Palmer Jeweller and bullion dealer John Palmer, was arrested himself but he argued in court that he was unaware that the gold he was handling was linked to the Brink's-Mat robbery. He was cleared of all charges against him. Palmer was arrested in 2001 relating to fraud charges on a timeshare scam where it was thought he made £30m at the misfortune of other. Sentenced to to eight years in prison, he served half of his term. In 2007 he was arrested again on fraud charges and this time spent two years in a Spanish prison as a result. He was shot dead at his home in Essex in June 2015, where he had six bullet holes in him. It is thought it was a professional "hit". Brian Perry Perry was convicted for his part in the Brink's-Mat heist, charged with disposing of the stolen gold bullion. At The Old Bailey, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison for handling stolen goods in 1992. In 2001, he shot dead outside his minicab office in Bermondsey. George Francis The man suspected of handling the stolen gold bullion, George Francis was shot dead outside his courier business in Bermondsey in 2003. His killer was an underworld villain called John O'Flynn, an ex-associate of the Kray twins, who was suspected to have been involved in the laundering of the gold from the Brink's-Mat robbery also. He served seven years of the term and was released in 1994. Advertisement In 1996 he Following the horror, Noye fled to Spain and He was located by police two years later, in August 1998, following a manhunt. Advertisement He was freed from jail and put on licence in 2019. The Ministry of Justice said at the time: "Like all life sentence prisoners released by the independent Parole Board, Kenneth Noye will be on licence for the remainder of his life, subject to strict conditions and faces a return to prison should he fail to comply." A year after he was freed, Noye was seen at the interchange where he fatally stabbed Stephen. Speaking at the time, Stephen's father, Advertisement "I feel sickened that he has gone back to the place where he took my son's life.' Following his release, Noye spoke out about his horrific crimes in a book by Donal MacIntyre and Karl Howman. He also previously She was forced into witness protection after giving evidence against Noye, and provided with a new name and secret home. Advertisement 11 Noye was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years for the murder of Stephen Cameron Credit: Kent Police / PA Wire 11 He spent over 20 years behind bars Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Noye said: "She gave honest evidence at the trial. I have no issue with her. "I am truly sorry for her loss and I am glad she has moved on with her life. Advertisement "She may not believe me but I do want to say this. I am not a danger to her in any respect. 'I was never a danger to her and there was never a million-pound price on her head, as the police suggested. "She should be able to fully enjoy her family and friends because there are no threats to her from me – there never was. 'I am devastated at Stephen's death and the circumstances around it.' Advertisement Noye was played by Slow Horses star Jack Lowden in The Gold alongside Hugh Bonneville and Dominic Cooper. The second series released last month explores what happened to the missing £26 million from the Brink's-Mat robbery. It also shows Noye stabbing undercover Met police officer John Fordham to death in the grounds of his home. UK's most notorious gangsters and criminals Notorious prisoner Former gangster Ex-armed robber Former gangland enforcer Notorious British criminal Convicted murderer Former drug-smuggler Fearless UK hardman Career criminal Gangleader A-Team leader 11 A BBC drama called The Gold told the story of the Brinks' Mat robbery Credit: BBC Advertisement 11 Jack Lowden portrayed the notorious crook in the film Credit: BBC 11 The heist took place at the Heathrow warehouse in 1983 Credit: Alamy
Spectator
30-06-2025
- Business
- Spectator
Why we still lust after gold
On Tuesday, as the world teetered on the brink of war in the Middle East, the Financial Times' front page focused on the possibility that holders of gold from France and Germany were considering moving their investments out of New York due to Donald Trump's erratic policy shifts and general global turbulence. We are regularly told that the only safe way to preserve and save our wealth in the event of a total financial and economic collapse is to buy gold. Gold has long been the basis of national currencies, and even in the age of bitcoin it retains its age-old attraction, summed up in the phrases 'gold standard' or 'gilt-edged'. Meanwhile, the current hit drama series on terrestrial TV this month is simply titled The Gold – a fictionalised account of the aftermath of the Brink's-Mat bullion robbery in 1983, when villains made off with £26 million in gold (worth £111 million today), along with diamonds and cash from a warehouse at Heathrow. The most bizarre true crime story this year was surely the theft of a solid-gold working toilet from Blenheim Palace – birthplace of Winston Churchill and seat of the Duke of Marlborough. The thieves simply loaded the loo into the back of a van and drove it away. The toilet – temporarily housed at the palace for an art exhibition – is now thought to have been melted down into more manageable ingots, and has been replaced at Blenheim by a less valuable gold-painted replica for visitors to try out. Another, more dignified, gold artefact to have vanished without trace was the gold rosary carried by the Catholic martyr Mary, Queen of Scots at her execution in 1587. The precious relic was stolen from Arundel Castle in West Sussex, seat of the Duke of Norfolk, in May 2021 and has never been recovered. Just what is so attractive about gold, and what makes it a fundamental, lasting hallmark of value in an unstable and ever-changing world? Gold has been a prized commodity for creating coins and jewellery for thousands of years, valued by cultures as varied as ancient Egypt and the Aztecs of Mexico, and used for purposes sacred and profane – from the beautiful mask of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun to the gold dildoes popular with ladies at the licentious court of Charles II. It is a most adaptable metal – malleable, ductile and easily smelted – as well as being rather rare. But its major attraction is surely that it is so easy on the eye. Shiny and bright as it is, all that glitters may not be gold, but real gold has no equal. During a youthful moment of drunken bravado, I had my nipples painted with gold leaf by a female gilder who helped restore Windsor Castle after the 1993 fire Gold really came into its own during the 19th century when major deposits were discovered in California, Australia and South Africa, causing rushes of thousands of hopeful amateur miners and panners, on the slim chance of staking a profitable claim and making their fortunes. At around the same time, nations began to collect vast reserves of gold, which became the basis for assessing their gross wealth – the aforesaid 'gold standard'. Stories like Treasure Island further boosted the mystique of gold, and these days detectorists now roam the land with their beeping devices in search of hoards of gold buried by unknown hands many centuries ago. My own relationship with gold is shadowy. On my 18th birthday, my mother gave me her mother's gold wedding ring, which has adorned my little finger ever since (and will be there till I die, as I can no longer remove it). Mum's own wedding ring, however, was made from platinum – a dull metal that looks like lead, and which may have more cash value but has none of gold's blingy glamour. More intimately, during a youthful moment of drunken bravado, I had my nipples painted with gold leaf by a female gilder who helped restore Windsor Castle after the 1993 fire. The royals prefer gold to platinum for their wedding rings, which are traditionally made from the Welsh gold first discovered and mined by the conquering Romans. Gold is still good – but it shouldn't be forgotten that even if you find pots of it at the end of a rainbow, you can't eat the stuff.
South Wales Guardian
24-06-2025
- South Wales Guardian
Police seek ‘answers' on criminal John Palmer's killer 10 years on
The 65-year-old, once described as Britain's richest criminal, was found dead in the garden of his remote woodland home in South Weald, Essex, on June 24 2015. It is thought his killer entered the garden over the fence and shot Mr Palmer six times with a pistol as he was outside burning rubbish on a bonfire. Essex Police originally thought he had died of natural causes because of recent keyhole surgery to his chest, but it later emerged that officers had not properly inspected his body and he had been murdered in a suspected contract killing. A hole found in the fence suggested the killer may have been watching him in the days prior to the murder, the force said. Mr Palmer's killer remains at large despite detectives exploring hundreds of lines of inquiry and examining thousands of pieces of evidence over the last decade. The appeal comes amid a renewed focus on Mr Palmer's life because of the BBC drama series The Gold. Mr Palmer gained his 'Goldfinger' nickname after being acquitted of handling gold bullion in the £26 million Brink's-Mat raid in 1983, with the show's first season telling the story of the raid. Detective Superintendent Stephen Jennings said: 'Ten years on from John's death and the pain has not gone away for his family. They still rightly want answers as to who murdered him and why. 'His killing was a brutal, planned execution – he was shot multiple times in the grounds of his own home. 'Over the years there has been much commentary, media coverage and even television programmes speculating about his connections to the underworld, high-profile crimes and his past – but whatever someone's past, John was a father, partner and much loved by his family. 'His murder was callous and calculated.' Mr Palmer was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2001 for a £33 million timeshare fraud which had 16,000 potential victims. He was also being investigated by the Spanish authorities and was due to stand trial over alleged property fraud involving properties in Tenerife and Spain in 2017, with several other individuals involved in the scheme subsequently found guilty and sentenced. Mr Jennings said the the key to solving Mr Palmer's murder 'lies within the underworld' and the force suspected it was linked to the fraud trial. He added: 'In the years since his death a lot has changed within the criminal fraternity, including loyalties, and people may now feel able to come forward. 'If you do have information please, now, do the right thing, 10 years on John's family must have justice and answers.' Anyone with information on Mr Palmer's murder should call Essex Police, or contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Glasgow Times
23-06-2025
- Glasgow Times
Police seek ‘answers' on criminal John Palmer's killer 10 years on
The 65-year-old, once described as Britain's richest criminal, was found dead in the garden of his remote woodland home in South Weald, Essex, on June 24 2015. It is thought his killer entered the garden over the fence and shot Mr Palmer six times with a pistol as he was outside burning rubbish on a bonfire. Essex Police originally thought he had died of natural causes because of recent keyhole surgery to his chest, but it later emerged that officers had not properly inspected his body and he had been murdered in a suspected contract killing. A hole found in the fence suggested the killer may have been watching him in the days prior to the murder, the force said. Mr Palmer's killer remains at large despite detectives exploring hundreds of lines of inquiry and examining thousands of pieces of evidence over the last decade. The appeal comes amid a renewed focus on Mr Palmer's life because of the BBC drama series The Gold. Mr Palmer gained his 'Goldfinger' nickname after being acquitted of handling gold bullion in the £26 million Brink's-Mat raid in 1983, with the show's first season telling the story of the raid. Detective Superintendent Stephen Jennings said: 'Ten years on from John's death and the pain has not gone away for his family. They still rightly want answers as to who murdered him and why. 'His killing was a brutal, planned execution – he was shot multiple times in the grounds of his own home. 'Over the years there has been much commentary, media coverage and even television programmes speculating about his connections to the underworld, high-profile crimes and his past – but whatever someone's past, John was a father, partner and much loved by his family. 'His murder was callous and calculated.' A spyhole was found by police in Mr Palmer's garden fence (Essex Police/PA) Mr Palmer was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2001 for a £33 million timeshare fraud which had 16,000 potential victims. He was also being investigated by the Spanish authorities and was due to stand trial over alleged property fraud involving properties in Tenerife and Spain in 2017, with several other individuals involved in the scheme subsequently found guilty and sentenced. Mr Jennings said the the key to solving Mr Palmer's murder 'lies within the underworld' and the force suspected it was linked to the fraud trial. He added: 'In the years since his death a lot has changed within the criminal fraternity, including loyalties, and people may now feel able to come forward. 'If you do have information please, now, do the right thing, 10 years on John's family must have justice and answers.' Anyone with information on Mr Palmer's murder should call Essex Police, or contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
North Wales Chronicle
23-06-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
Police seek ‘answers' on criminal John Palmer's killer 10 years on
The 65-year-old, once described as Britain's richest criminal, was found dead in the garden of his remote woodland home in South Weald, Essex, on June 24 2015. It is thought his killer entered the garden over the fence and shot Mr Palmer six times with a pistol as he was outside burning rubbish on a bonfire. Essex Police originally thought he had died of natural causes because of recent keyhole surgery to his chest, but it later emerged that officers had not properly inspected his body and he had been murdered in a suspected contract killing. A hole found in the fence suggested the killer may have been watching him in the days prior to the murder, the force said. Mr Palmer's killer remains at large despite detectives exploring hundreds of lines of inquiry and examining thousands of pieces of evidence over the last decade. The appeal comes amid a renewed focus on Mr Palmer's life because of the BBC drama series The Gold. Mr Palmer gained his 'Goldfinger' nickname after being acquitted of handling gold bullion in the £26 million Brink's-Mat raid in 1983, with the show's first season telling the story of the raid. Detective Superintendent Stephen Jennings said: 'Ten years on from John's death and the pain has not gone away for his family. They still rightly want answers as to who murdered him and why. 'His killing was a brutal, planned execution – he was shot multiple times in the grounds of his own home. 'Over the years there has been much commentary, media coverage and even television programmes speculating about his connections to the underworld, high-profile crimes and his past – but whatever someone's past, John was a father, partner and much loved by his family. 'His murder was callous and calculated.' Mr Palmer was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2001 for a £33 million timeshare fraud which had 16,000 potential victims. He was also being investigated by the Spanish authorities and was due to stand trial over alleged property fraud involving properties in Tenerife and Spain in 2017, with several other individuals involved in the scheme subsequently found guilty and sentenced. Mr Jennings said the the key to solving Mr Palmer's murder 'lies within the underworld' and the force suspected it was linked to the fraud trial. He added: 'In the years since his death a lot has changed within the criminal fraternity, including loyalties, and people may now feel able to come forward. 'If you do have information please, now, do the right thing, 10 years on John's family must have justice and answers.' Anyone with information on Mr Palmer's murder should call Essex Police, or contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
