Forty-three-year-old Nick Whiting had been a saloon car champion driver in the UK, and after that career came to an end, he opened a successful garage called All Car Equipe in Wrotham, Kent, England that made him a millionaire.
On June 7th, 1990, it is believed that a group of assailants entered All Car Equipe and kidnapped Nick Whiting, binding and gagging him before tossing him into the trunk of a car and fleeing the scene. The gang also stole five high-performance vehicles from the business.
The stolen cars were recovered fairly quickly, but for several weeks, no one was sure what had become of Nick Whiting. Then, on July 2nd, police received an anonymous tip, and following up on it led them to the remains of the former champion, buried in a shallow grave on Rainham Marshes in Essex. It appeared that he had been beaten, stabbed nine times, and tortured, then forcibly marched approximately two miles before being shot twice in the head.
Three men were arrested and questioned shortly after the discovery of the body, but all were released without charge.
Some sources link Nick Whiting’s murder with the infamous 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery at the Heathrow International Trading Estate in London. It has been speculated that Nick may have been associated with one of the perpetrators of the robbery, Kenny Noye, who decided to have him killed after he spoke to the police about his associate’s involvement.
There is also a theory that Nick Whiting’s murder may have some connection with the so-called “Essex Boys Murders,” a triple homicide that took place in Rettendon in early December of 1995. The three victims—Pat Tate, Tony Tucker, and Craig Rolfe—were known drug dealers and members of a criminal gang known as The Essex Boys. Ultimately, two men named Jack Whomes and Michael Steele were convicted of the crime in 1998.
It is unknown if any link exists between the Brink’s-Mat robbery, the Essex Boys Murders, and the slaying of Nick Whiting, which is still unsolved more than thirty years later.
Crime Immemorial 