Essex News & Investigations

SELF-confessed killer Freddie Foreman appears to have evaded justice despite repeatedly admitting to two murders and the disposal of another body that was never found. Foreman died aged 94 on Saturday, October 10, 2026, after a short illness. He was living in a care home. He has been widely mourned as a "legend" of the British underworld with his death branded the "end of an era." But, Forman's nickname of "Brown Bread Fred" was based on his disturbing claims to have murdered

SELF-confessed killer Freddie Foreman is the third British "celebrity" gangland figure to die in the space of two months. Foreman (above in screen grab from ITV interview) died aged 94 on Saturday, October 10, 2026, after a short illness. He had been living in a care home. Notorious Glasgow former gangster Paul Ferris died aged 62 on Tuesday, October 6, and Eddie Richardson died aged 90 on August 14. All three had become so-called celebrity gangsters after turning their backs

POLICE investigating a major suspected organised crime group believed to be involved in financial crime and violence arrested 17 people following dawn raids at 24 properties in London and four other counties. Met Police officers were seen in the grounds of the Essex home of wealthy businessman David Hunt, 65, on Tuesday, September 29 2026 as officers carried out a series of raids in connection with an organised crime probe across London and the Home Counties. A Met Police van

A fourth man has been charged following a Met Police operation on Tuesday morning targeting a major suspected organised crime group. Andreas Nicolas, 64 (10.11.61) of Duxford, Cambridgeshire was charged overnight with possession of a firearm (a revolver) and possession of a weapon to discharge a noxious thing, namely electricity, both contrary to Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968. The company director was remanded in custody and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court

THREE men have been charged with unrelated offences after 18 people were arrested yesterday during raids across London and the Home Counties targeting a suspected major organised crime group. Charles Charalambous, 56 (24.11.69) of Claremont Road, Cockfosters, will appear in court this morning following the stabbing of a police officer on Tuesday. He was charged overnight with wounding with intent to cause GBH to resist arrest. He was remanded in custody to appear at Westminst

A BRITISH accountant turned 'spy for Spanish Police' who was investigated over alleged timeshare frauds has avoided extradition after Spain withdrew the request just days before a crucial appeal. Grandad Paul Blanchard, 81, was wanted in Spain to face money laundering charges alongside others including Mohamed Jamil Derbah, the former head of security for the late British gangster John 'Goldfinger' Palmer (below in his latter years) on Tenerife. It was in connection with an a

A MOTHER her two children and nephew were among five people found guilty of carrying millions of pounds of criminal cash to Dubai, aided by a corrupt Emirates worker who helped waive their hefty excess baggage fees. Heather Jeffrey, 58, children Sheldan Noel, 30, and Lamara Noel, 34, all from Bradford, and nephew Devanyl Graham, 26, from Dewsbury, took a number of flights to the UAE city between December 14 2017 and November 15 2019. The cash was smuggled on flights from Manc

A HUGE seizure of suspected MDMA has been made on the M62 motorway. A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: "As part of a joint operation involving Matrix and Operation Medusa, we have arrested a man and seized large quantities of suspected MDMA following a stop check on the M62 yesterday, Tuesday 14 April." At around 7.20pm, officers from our Matrix Roads Policing Unit stop checked a Ford Transit van at Junction 7 of the M62, with the intention of checking documentation. Dur

NEARLY a tonne of cocaine has been seized at Southampton Docks after the container they were in had sailed from Nicaragua via Panama to the UK. Two men have been charged as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation. The Class A drugs were seized at Southampton Docks after the container they were in had sailed from Nicaragua via Panama to the UK. Acting in partnership with the NCA, Border Force officers opened the container and found 943kg of cocaine with a street va

AN Emirates worker splashed cash on designer bags, shoes and luxury watches and had a boob job paid for while helping a crime gang smuggle millions of pounds of cash through Manchester Airport to Dubai, a court heard. Emma Rauf, 33, (above left) is alleged to have abused her position at the airline's check-in desk at Manchester Airport to waive hundreds of pounds of excess baggage fees of up to £800 for couriers who were smuggling huge amounts of used bank notes hidden in clo