Times Past: End of the Kray's reign

The 1969 trial at the Old Bailey lasted 39 days and set a record for being the longest and most expensive trial at the famous London court.

Following nearly seven hours of debate, guilty verdicts were returned ending for good the mythic, terrifying and compelling reign of the Kray twins, popular culture’s favourite gangsters.

Ronnie Kray denied everything and said the police had plotted against them.

Reggie accused Mr Justice Melford Stevenson of bias but by then their powers of intimidation had waned.

Speculative

They had been arrested speculatively in 1968 in the hope that witnesses would be more inclined to come forward with the twins in police custody.

The ploy worked and the lead detective, Inspector Leonard “Nipper� Read of Scotland Yard, successfully offered immunity to those who turned Queen’s Evidence. Memories returned, tongues were loosened and the Kray’s formidable East End empire was laid bare.

Gang members such as Scotch Jack Dickson and Ronnie Hart gave testimony to avoid jail.

The barmaid of the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel, scene of one of their murders, gave evidence despite the fact that immediately after the event at she couldn’t identify Ronnie Kray in a line-up, saying she had “a bad memory for faces�.

The jury heard evidence on two murders. On March 9, 1966, Ronnie Kray had shot and killed George Cornell in the Blind Beggar in Whitechapel.

A go-between for the Krays and their arch-rivals the Richardsons, Cornell had managed to insult Ronnie Kray and survive on account of his connections. Ronnie held back, knowing that a swift action would result in all-out gang feud – although the fragile peace was shattered anyway.

Pistol

When Kray associate Richard Hart was murdered in a major eruption of gang violence in 1966, many of the Richardson gang were caught and sent down, leaving Cornell without any back-up.

When Ronnie heard that Cornell was drinking in his “manor�, he seized the moment. He coolly strolled into the pub, drew a 9mm Mauser pistol and shot Cornell point blank in the head. The customers told the police they saw nothing.

A second murder charge featured a minor member of the Krays’ gang – Jack “The Hat� McVitie.
He had been paid £1,500 to kill Kray dealmaker Lesley Payne but had failed to fulfil the contract or repay the money. McVitie was lured to a flat in Hackney in November 1966 to be met by Reggie Kray with a handgun.

Reggie pulled the trigger twice but the gun failed to discharge. McVitie thought he was the victim of a sick prank till Ronnie held him down. Reggie proceeded to stab him in the face, stomach and throat.

It was Lesley Payne, fearing the contract would go to a more assiduous killer, who gave “Nipper� Read his big break, letting it be known he was willing to talk. He offered 200 pages of testimony about the protection rackets, the frauds and the violence.

After weeks of evidence the members of the Kray gang all received hefty sentences for their involvement in the murder.

A later trial would clear the Krays of the killing of Frank “Mad Axeman� Mitchell despite powerful witness testimony. But, by then, the 36-year-old Krays had already begun the final chapter of their notorious lives – behind bars.

Mr Justice Stevenson had told them: “In my view, society has earned a rest for your activities.�

Imprisonment

He sentenced them both to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 30 years. After the verdicts, the judge turned to the jury of 10 men and thanked them for their “devoted and selfless attention�.

Despite the unashamed brutality and violence of the crimes, the Krays continued to garner genuine popular affection.

The notion that most law-abiding folk would be safer with the Krays around – that they only harmed “their own� – coupled with their effusive love for their mum Violet (“our Queen�) meant they ticked all the boxes of the mythologised East End sentimentality.

David Bailey took their photographs, they ran glamorous and legitimate West End clubs, they mingled with Frank Sinatra, Diana Dors, Judy Garland, and instinctively created a heady blend of glamour and danger that was the touchstone of the age.

Author Neil R Storey has studied the Krays’ story and it is featured in his new book East End Murders: From Jack The Ripper To Ronnie Kray.

He said: “The Krays abided by a certain code among felons and between rival gangs. Despite being murderers, their killings were seen as gangland actions against those who had grossly transgressed the code.

“With their smart suits and high profile, fostered by a series of iconic photographs, the Krays caught the imagination of the wider public. When they died they were given a ‘full East End honours’ send off and thousands lined the streets to watch the funeral.�

Ronnie was certified insane and was held in Broadmoor until his death on March 17, 1995, but Reggie was finally released from prison on compassionate grounds in August 2000, just weeks before his death from cancer.

East End Murders From Jack The Ripper To Ronnie Kray, published by The History Press, £12.99

KEY FIGURES

Charlie Kray, the twins elder brother, was a more stable figure who found refuge from a failed marriage in the arms of actress Barbara Windsor. Although not intrinsic to the Krays gang, the 41-year-old Charlie was jailed for 10 years for being an accessory to the Jack McVitie murder. He was released in 1975. In 1997 he was sentenced to 12 years for attempting to supply cocaine worth £39million. He died in prison in 2000.

“Mad� Frankie Fraser was a member of the Richardson gang and, in 1966, was charged with the murder of Richard Hart, which eventually triggered Ronnie Krays’ killing of George Cornell. The charges were dropped but he was jailed for 10 years for his part in the Richardson gang’s notorious “torture trials�. In his later years he has been reborn as a celebrity, appearing in his own one-man show.

“Brown Bread� Freddie Foreman became involved with the Krays as a freelance enforcer. He was jailed for 10 years for his involvement in the Jack McVitie murder. After his release he returned to crime, fleeing to the US then Marbella to avoid various investigations. He was finally jailed for nine years for laundering cash in 1990 and became a model prisoner.