A MILLIONAIRE property developer shot dead in the garden of his home is believed to have been the victim of an contract killing.
Daniel Blackett, 36, was shot three times as he walked to the garage of his mansionin Thorpe Green near Virginia Water, Surrey, on Saturday.
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Detectives believe that a gunman had been lying in wait. They have been examining Mr Blackett’s links to the criminal underworld. It is understood that he was known to police and had been prosecuted for a passport offence.
Mr Blackett’s partner, Nicola Jackson, 28, and his daughter, 4, and son, 11, were in the house, Blisland Lodge, when he was killed.
Mr Blackett, a director of Blackjack Properties and two other companies, was part of a consortium that built and ran a hotel close to Stansted airport in 2002. He was one of four investors in Stansted Manor Hotel, which was sold by the group for almost £6 million last year.