165
See also: The Sicilian Mafia 138–45 ■ The Yakuza 154–59 ■ Jack the Ripper 266–73ORGANIZED CRIME
The twins started a protection
racket of their own. They allegedly
had a personal bet to see who could
make more money in a day, and
earned a reputation for violence.
Reggie and Ronnie quickly
established “The Firm” with
Freddie Foreman, a powerful East
End gangster, as their sometime
enforcer. In 1957, they became
owners of the Double R nightclub,
then extended west, acquiring
Esmeralda’s Barn, a gambling club
in Knightsbridge.Bitter rivalry
Although the Krays’ reputation has
overshadowed the Richardsons’,
Charlie and Eddie were far more
cruel and calculating. Charlie,
labelled “vicious, sadistic, and a
disgrace to civilization” by a judge,
was the brains of the operation. His
younger brother Eddie was the
brawn. The gang tortured victims
by nailing them to the floor, pulling
out teeth with pliers, and chopping
off toes with bolt-cutters.
The Richardsons’ most feared
enforcer was Frankie Fraser, who
had earned the moniker “mad” after
slashing the face of crime boss Jack
Comer. “Mad” Frankie offered
protection to pubs and clubs if they
allowed the Richardsons’ fruit
machines into their establishments.
Those who refused became the
victims of vandalism or worse.
The Richardsons also committed
outright extortion as well as dealing
in pornography and narcotics. They
laundered their proceeds through
their Brixton scrapyard and fruit
machine business.
The first clash between the
Krays and Richardsons occurred
one night in a West End nightclub
when Eddie Richardson andFrankie Fraser severely beat Kenny
Hampton, a young man employed
by Freddie Foreman. Swearing
vengeance, Foreman walked into
the club and reportedly jammed a
.38 pistol into Eddie’s nostril.
Tensions between the gangs
boiled over in March 1966 with
“The Battle of Mr Smith’s” when
members of the Richardson Gang
and Kray associates shot, knifed,
and beat each other in a club in
southeast London. Both Fraser and
Eddie Richardson were shot along
with five others, while Kray cousin
Dickie Hart was murdered with his
own .45 gun. Fraser and Eddie
Richardson were sentenced to five
years in prison for affray. Charlie
Richardson was arrested while
watching the 1966 World Cup Final
on 30 July, and later sentenced to
25 years in prison.
Several days after “The Battle of
Mr Smith’s,” Ronnie Kray entered
Whitechapel’s busy Blind Beggar
pub and was insulted by drunk
Richardson gang member George
Cornell. He fatally shot Cornell in
the head. At an early Christmasparty on 7 December, Reggie Kray
repeatedly knifed drug dealer Jack
McVitie in a dispute over money.
On 8 May 1968, the Krays
were arrested by Detective Chief
Inspector “Nipper” Read’s Flying
Squad, along with 15 other
members of The Firm. The twins
were sentenced to life without the
possibility of parole for 30 years.
Ronnie died from a heart attack in
1995; in 2000, Reggie’s terminal
cancer led to his compassionate
release from prison. ■Charlie [Richardson] is evil...
in the nicest possible way. Evil
people sometimes are.
John McVicarThe Kray twins
The Kray twins grew up in the
working-class community of
Hoxton in East London. It was
considered a “zone of transition”
where criminal activity
flourished. Both grandfathers- Jimmy “Cannonball” Lee and
“Mad” Jimmy Kray – were
renowned boxers in their day,
as was the twins’ aunt Rose.
The twins formed a unique
bond, learning how to fight
together, protecting each other
from harm, and going into
criminal business together.
Their sexuality has been the
subject of intense speculation.
Ronnie identified as bisexual in
his 1993 book My Story, but the
Kray family have denied claims
by biographer John Pearson that
Reggie also liked men. Pearson
even claimed in a book written
after the twins’ deaths that they
had engaged in incest.
The twins were only separated
shortly after their convictions,
when Ronnie was transferred
to Broadmoor – a high-security
psychiatric hospital – after
being diagnosed as a paranoid
schizophrenic.164-165_Kray_Twins.indd 165 12/12/2016 17:13