Jeremy Debonnaire

Jeremy Debonnaire was tied up and shot at his home in Bearsted, Maidstone on 18 October 1996.

It was later claimed that he paid two hitmen £3,000 to kill him and make it look like a burglary after he suffered from asbestosis which had made him bitter and depressed.

He suffered from a respiratory illness, asbestosis and was terminally-ill and had just come back from the doctors who had told him that there was nothing more that they could do for him. It was reported that he had only had weeks to live.

His body was found by a friend on the Friday night at his bungalow.

The police initially said that they found signs of a break in but were still trying to establish a motive for his murder. Although there were signs of a break in, his home had not been ransacked and there was no sign of a struggle.

A professional bodyguard was charged with his murder, but the charges were later dropped in April 1997 due to insufficient evidence.

Jeremy Debonnaire had been a glazier and fitter for Supaglazing in Strood, however, he had left in July 1995 because of his illness which had required regular visits to hospital. His partner described him as a loner.

A detective said: