John gangster biography

John Palmer headed to Tenerife with the profits from the robbery and began building a timeshare empire. His lifestyle had all the trapping of movie star status – a yacht, helicopters, classic cars, a private jet and his own chateau in France. At the end of the 1990s, he was worth over £300m, rated in the Sunday Times Rich List as level with the Queen.

By 2005, however, Palmer was broke. His timeshare empire had overreached itself, gangsters from outside Tenerife were muscling in and the scene was becoming extremely violent, a situation not helped by Palmer’s worsening cocaine habit. Palmer’s scams had earned him an estimated £30 million from 16,000 victims, but, in 2001, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for fraud. Palmer only served four years but he left prison bankrupt, in debt and with his prized possessions sold.

Find out about Palmer’s impossibly expensive taste in wine by listening to episode three here.

Excerpt. � Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

August 1996, Terminal One, Heathrow Airport, London
He smiled confidently, exchanging courtesies with his fellow travellers as they filtered into the airport's arrivals lounge. Wearing a blue sports jacket, shirt, pressed trousers and standing just over five feet tall, he looked an unlikely criminal.
`You must be the journalist. Pleased to meet you,' he said in a flat Dublin accent, whilst shaking my hand.
`How did you know what I looked like?'
`Oh, I just saw you there and you fitted the bill. Come with me, I don't like talking in public places.' He pointed to a restaurant which overlooked the airport lobby and signalled to follow.
`This place is good. There's only one way in and out. Let's get something to eat,' he said, whilst
ushering me towards a table situated in a dimly lit corner, not easily visible from the doorway.
The restaurant was full of businessmen from the four corners of the globe, but Asians were the main clientele, all din