https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11503691/Britains-cold-cases-gangland-boss-assassinated-garden-schoolgirl-killed.htmlBritain's cold cases: Murdered family-of-six, executed 'Goldfinger' gangland boss, a schoolboy who vanished without trace and the teenager killed as she walked home the 10 notorious murders that remain unsolved
Thousands of murders in UK remain unsolved and families are awaiting justice
Despite long-running police investigations, some murderers never been found
Among the victims are Natalie Pearman, a prostitute killed in Norwich in 1992
Do you have any information about these murders? Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or call the police on 101
By Rachael Bunyan For Mailonline
Published: 22:07, 25 December 2022 | Updated: 09:23, 26 December 2022
Thousands of murders in the UK remain unsolved, leaving scores of families still asking questions about who killed their loved ones. Despite long-running police investigations, some murderers have never been brought to justice with some cases going back to the 1960s. Here, MailOnline casts an eye on 10 of the top murders in the UK in an effort to try and help bring their killers to justice. Natalie Pearman, 16, a sex worker, was last seen at around 1.15am on Thursday November 20, 1992, in the red light area of Rouen Road, Norwich. A lorry driver found her body dumped beside woodland in a layby on Ringland Road at the Ringland Hills beauty spot on the outskirts of the city at 3.50am the same day. A post mortem later revealed Natalie had been asphyxiated, but her killer has never been found, despite a DNA sample of the suspected murderer being on her body. There has been speculation that she was killed by Suffolk Strangler serial killer Steve Wright who murdered five prostitutes in November and December 2006 around 50 miles away in Ipswich. In November 2022, detectives released childhood pictures of the teenage sex worker in a bid to encourage people to come forward with new information 30 years on from her murder.
John Palmer, 65
John 'Goldfinger' Palmer, 65, was burning rubbish in the garden of his secluded home in South Weald, Brentford, Essex on 24 June 2015 when he was murdered. Mr Palmer, said to have amassed £300million fortune and linked to the 1983 Brink's-Mat heist, was shot six times by a gunman in the only part of his sprawling £800,000 estate not covered by CCTV. Police believe the gangland boss may have been gunned down because he knew too much about the Hatton heist an audacious 14million gem raid in London that occurred just two months before his murder. Mr Palmer, who was rumoured to have turned informant, managed to walk a short distance towards his house after the gunman opened fire before collapsing. He was discovered in his garden by his son's girlfriend at around 5.30pm on June 24, 2015. Detectives arrived at the scene and discovered a hole in Mr Palmer's garden fence, suggesting that his killer had been watching him in the day leading up to the murder. Essex police said the killing had 'all the hallmarks' of a contract killing. Mr Palmer was killed after 'significant arrests' last year, which crime bosses may believe he was responsible for, and police now think the hit may be linked to what he knew about Hatton Garden. They believe the hitman climbed over the fence and struck from a short distance using a handgun in one of the only areas of the house and garden not covered by Palmer's own CCTV system. Leaked documents from Operation Tiberius into corruption showed that high-ranking serving police officers were protecting Palmer from arrest, fuelling rumours he was an informant. Speaking after his death, Palmer's son James Ketley who fought to save his father's life and, along with his family, offered a £50,000 reward for information into his murder, said: 'I heard no gunshots, it was just very, very quiet. I could still feel his heart beating so I thought there might be a chance we could keep him alive. I felt so helpless because I had to watch him die in front of me.'
Palmer's criminality stretched back decades and he earned the nickname 'goldfinger' from when he was acquitted in the 1983 Brink's-Mat raid, in which he admitted melting down gold bars but claimed he did not know they were stolen.
Daniel Entwistle, 7
Daniel Entwistle, seven, disappeared from near his home in Great Yarmouth on Saturday 3 May 2003. His parents Paula and David became concerned when Daniel failed to return for dinner and started to look for him with the help of friends and family. They called police when they found no trace of him. Detectives scoured through CCTV and they spotted Daniel at the local convenience shop, Blencowes, near his home at around 5.05pm on Saturday. Locals also said they saw him playing with a group of boys near the river at the Trinity Quay at around 3.30pm. Daniel's red BMX bike was found abandoned near the river near Trinity Quay in the early hours of Sunday morning and sonar examinations of the riverbed formed a major part of the inquiry. Daniel, described as being 3ft 2 inches tall with light brown short hair, was last seen on the CCTV footage in the local convenience store wearing a blue Adidas T-shirt with striped sleeves, blue tracksuit bottoms and grey trainers. Despite police, his family and locals spending hours searching for Daniel, no trace of the seven-year-old has ever been found. In 2015, Daniel's father David was found dead at his home in Suffolk 12 years after his son went missing. Soon after his death, the Sunday People revealed that David was a convicted paedophile who had served a six-month jail sentence before his son's disappearance for having sex with a 12-year-old girl. Police were aware of David's conviction before Daniel's death but they never made it public. The father was interviewed by police but was never made a suspect in his son's disappearance. David's marriage to Daniel's mother Paula ended soon after police told her of his conviction.
The Shakoor family
Dr Abdul Shakoor was the only survivor of an arson attack on his family home in Harlow, Essex, on October 15, 2012. His wife Sabah Usmani, 44, and their five young children sons Sohaib, 11, Rayyan, six, and Muneeb, nine, and daughters Hira, 12, and Maheen, three died in the fire that ripped through their terraced house at 1.40am. Appealing for witnesses at the time of the incident, Essex Police revealed that evidence suggested it was caused by 'malicious ignition' with detectives confirming they were aware of a burglary at the house on the same day. The family of six were asleep when the house was set ablaze in the early hours of October 15, 2012. A desperate Dr Shakoor battled hard to save his family, suffering the effects of the dense smoke and also minor burns as he tried to get them out. He jumped out the window and landed on a car parked below, before trying to re-enter the house with a neighbour. Dr Shakoor fought his way through the flames and managed to climb the stairs, but it proved to be too late. All six victims died of asphyxiation through smoke inhalation. His wife Sabah died at the scene with their daughter Hira and sons Muneeb and Rayyan. Sohaib, 11, died at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow where Dr Shakoor worked. The fifth and youngest child, Maheen, who would have celebrated her fourth birthday nine days after the fire, never regained consciousness. Her father had to make the painful decision to turn off her life support machine. Detectives continue to pursue a number of lines of enquiry, including an appeal for a white man ages in his late teens or early 20s seen riding a bicycle in the area when the house and car was set alight. The family laptop, a black Toshiba Satellite, which was taken from the house in a burglary has never been located. The laptop had a two-pin lead because it was from Saudi Arabia, while its bag and lead were later recovered nearby. Attached was a shaver adapter plug, though this did not belong to the family. In November 2012, a person rang Harlow police station from a phone box and left a message about the fire, but detectives have not identified the person who got in touch. The same month, a piece of paper about the murder investigation was left on a shelf in Boots in Harlow, with detectives keen to speak to the person who placed it there.
Vicky Glass, 21
Vicky Glass, 21, was last seen being dropped off by a taxi driver at 4am on September 24, 2000, in Middlesbrough. Vicky, a sex worker, was later found murdered on November 3, 2000, by a dog walker. Her body was discovered in a stream on the Yorkshire moors near the village of Danby, North Yorkshire. In November 2022, police released CCTV footage of Vicky walking with a friend across a carpark in the Cannon Park area of Middlesbrough on September 24, 2000, in the hours before she was dropped off by the taxi. Cleveland Police detectives spoke to Vicky's friend who said shortly before the footage was taken, Vicky had engaged in a conversation with a lorry driver who gave her some money. Police say Vicky left some 'personal effects' with the trucker and agreed to meet him later in the day. Detectives are now keen to speak to the lorry driver, or anyone who might know his identity. The driver is described as male, white, 34 to 38 years old at the time, broad build and had a distinctive mole on his face. Police have been ramping up their reinvestigation into Vicky's murder since 2021 after a review of the case found 'significant' new lines of enquiry. Four people have been arrested in connection with Vicky's murder since 2000, but all have been released with no further action.
Diane Jones, 35
Diane Jones, 35, was found murdered next to a road at Martlesham, Suffolk, on 22 October 1983 three months after she was last seen. Diane had gone for a drink with her husband, Dr Robert Jones, at their local pub - the Woolpack public house - on 23 July 1983 in Coggeshall, Essex, with the couple leaving at around 11pm to drive home. Dr Jones said he last saw his wife front gate of their house after she got out of the car whilst he parked the vehicle. But, despite this being the last time he said he saw her, Dr Jones did not report Diane missing until nine days after their pub trip. Essex Police launched an investigation, and three months later, they found Diane's body on a copse adjacent to the A1093 road at Martlesham. She was found with a fractured skill. It later emerged that Diane had been seen arguing with Robert on the night of 23 July. Suffolk Constabulary said in a report that members of the public saw Diane, apparently drunk, falling off a stool backwards. They wrote in the report: 'At closing time Diane refused to leave the public house and said to Dr Jones 'I'm not going home with you, you'll beat me up'. Dr Jones then put his dog, and Diane's brown handbag, in his car and returned for Diane. She refused to leave and had to be manhandled and carried to the door by Dr Jones. He then allegedly put her over his shoulder and carried her from the pub.
'What happened after the couple left the Woolpack Public House remains in dispute.'
Dr Jones was questioned by police, but officers never charged him for the murder of his third wife due to a lack of evidence.
Victoria Hall, 17
Victoria Hall, 17, disappeared while walking home from the Bandbox nightclub in Felixstowe, Suffolk, on September 19, 1999. Victoria and her best friend, Gemma Algar, also 17 at the time, left at 1am and bought chips at a takeaway before splitting up at 2.20am as they walked to their respective homes. Gemma heard screams shortly afterwards but thought it was someone messing around. Victoria was reported missing by her parents in the morning when they realised she had not returned home and a huge police investigation was launched to find the teenager. Five days later, a dog walker found Victoria's naked body in a water-filled ditch about 25 miles away on Friday 24 September, 1999. Police said she had been strangled. Tests showed the A-level student, who had been wearing a black dress with a frilly hem, light brown jacket and black open-toed shoes, had not been sexually assaulted. Businessman Adrian Bradshaw was charged with Vicky's murder but he was cleared after a two-week trial in 2001. Detectives have also previously looked at the possibility that Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright, who killed five prostitutes in Ipswich in 2006, was connected with her death. Suffolk Police reopened their investigation in 2019 after receiving fresh witness information, which they would not expand upon. In July 2021, a man was arrested on suspicion of murder was later released. But police said that he remains under investigation without providing further details.
George Murdoch, 58
George Murdoch, 58, was attacked with a cheese wire and killed while working in Aberdeen on September 29, 1983. The taxi driver, known as Dod, had told his control room at 8.35pm that evening he was heading to Culter, a suburb about eight miles from the city centre, but never reached his destination. The 58-year-old turned off on to Pitfodels Station Road, on the outskirts of the city near Deeside Railway Line, where he was attacked and later died. Two cyclists witnessed the attack and called the police but by the time officers arrived, George's murderer had fled. The killer was found to have stolen George's wallet and money. At the time, the murderer was described as a man in his late 20s to early 30s who had dark hair. In September 2022, police hunting George's murderer issued an appeal for information to trace a man who was seen wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt in Wilson's Sports Bar on Market Street in Aberdeen in September 2015. Despite a high-profile police investigation and £20,00 reward, no one has ever been arrested in connection with the murder of Mr Murdoch. But officers believe the man in the Iron Maiden T-shirt may be able to help with their investigation.
Peter Miller, 24
Peter Miller, 24, was stabbed to death at his home at Camden Place in Great Yarmouth on 9 December 1984. Peter was found lying on the kitchen floor by his brother Anthony Miller at 7.45pm. He died from a single stab wound to the chest. He had last been seen alive in the afternoon by a neighbour who said Peter had helped her with some household repairs. Detectives found a CS aerosol canister was found inside the house on the floor. Anthony told police there was a strange smell in the air when he entered Peter's house. Detectives believe the cannister had been used either by Peter's murderer, or the 24-year-old to defend himself as he was being attacked. In 2013, fresh information led to a 'sharp implement' which detectives believe could have been used to kill Peter was found. Officers re-appealed to find a woman who called Great Yarmouth police station on 30 December 2013. The woman has never been traced, but detectives are appealing for her to get in touch. A number of people were arrested following Peter's death, but no one has ever been charged for his murder.
Ann Heron, 44
Ann Heron, 44, a part-time carer, was murdered at her home on the outskirts of Darlington on Friday 3 August 1990. The mother-of-three had spend the morning shopping in Darlington with a friend before returning home to sunbathe in her garden. At around 6pm that night, Ann's body was found in her living room lying in a pool of blood. Durham Police initially appealed for a driver of a blue car, which was spotted nearby, to come forward but they never did. In 2005, Ann's husband Peter was arrested for her murder, but police later dropped the charges due to a lack of evidence. But in 2016, private investigator Jen Jarvie took up the case and identified a suspect, Michael Benson, who was a violent criminal who was on the run at the time of Ann's murder. Benson has since died.
