The Kray twins were notorious perpetrators of organised crime in London's east end while the 1950s and 1960s. They were known as Reggie and Ronnie but there full names were Reginald Kray and Ronald Kray. They were responsible for a whole of crimes in their days along with murder, torture, arson and armed robberies. Even though they committed terrible atrocities they nothing else but became celebrities and were even interviewed on television by David Bailey. They were arrested in 1968 and were convicted a year later and both were sentenced to life imprisonment.
From an early age the twins were aware of breaking the law as their father Charlie went into hiding when he was called up for the army while the Second World War. Charlie travelled the country as a trader trying to avoid the law catching up with him. Later on in life the twins were called up for national services with the Royal Fusiliers but they deserted some times. On one of the last occasions they assaulted a police officer who was trying to arrest them. This landed them Shepton Mallet soldiery prison. curious before they were sent to prison they were held at the Tower of London and went down in history as being among the last prisoners ever to be kept there.
Before they were called up for national service the boys got into boxing. Their grandfather got them into the sport. It is rumoured that they never lost one singular fight before they became pro aged 19. There criminal narrative and dishonourable removal put a stop to their life as boxes and it seems as a supervene of this turned to a life of crime. They started off by buying a snooker club and started a safety racket. By the end of the 50's they had been involved in many crimes along with hijacking, arson and armed robbery. Ronnie was sent to prison for 18 months in 1960 on charges relating to the safety racket and a whole or associated threats.
As the swinging 60's evolved they became celebrity nightclub owners and were part of the London swinging scene. As their fame grew they were pictured with noted socialites, and actors and actresses from the world of show business. In Ronnies autobiography he stated "They were the best years of our lives. They called them the swinging sixties. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were rulers of pop music, Carnaby road ruled the fashion world... And me and my brother ruled London. We were fucking untouchable..."
Throughout their life they were bullies and intimidating to people. Even as children at their first school, people who knew them were too scared to say anything to them. Towards the end of their criminal life they were getting too big for their boots and their crimes were getting out of hand and led to murder. eventually in 1968 after a year of collecting evidence and talking to witnesses the police arrested the Kray twins with 15 other members of their so called "firm". This led to more witnesses advent transmit and the Krays and 14 others were convicted. The twins were both sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole duration of 30 years for the murders of Cornell and McVitie. At that time it was the longest sentences ever passed at the Central Criminal Court, London.
The twins were allowed out of prison to attend their mother's funeral. But due to the whole of publicity it created they didn't attend their father's funeral a few months later. Ronnie died in Broadmore Hospital aged 61 on the 17th March 1995 after a heart attack. while incarceration, Reggie famously became a born again Christian and after serving more than 30 years was released from prison in August 2000 on generous grounds due to having inoperable bladder cancer. A few weeks later he died aged 67.
Who Are the Kray Twins?
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