Capone and the Krays

The Kray twins were born on 24 October 1933 in Hoxton, in the East End of London, to Charlie Kray and Violet Lee. Reggie was born 10 minutes before Ronnie. Charlie and Violet already had a seven-year old son, also called Charlie. A sister died in infancy. The frequent presence of military police hardened an anti-authoritarian attitude in Ron and Reg, who were both to desert from the army later in life.

Their criminal record and dishonourable discharge having ended their boxing careers, the boys turned to crime, buying a seedy snooker club in Bethnal Green, and starting several protection rackets. By the end of the 1950s, the Krays were involved in hijacking, armed robbery and arson, through which means they acquired a small empire of clubs and other properties.

In the 1960s, they were well placed, as prosperous nightclub owners, to be a part of the 'swinging' London scene. A large part of their fame is due to their non-criminal activities as figures on the celebrity circuit, being photographed by David Bailey on more than one occasion; their associates included the Webster Family and showbusiness characters such as the actors George Sewell and Barbara Windsor. The Krays came into the public eye, however, when Ron's homosexual friendship with Lord Boothby, a Conservative peer, was alluded to in a tabloid exposé.

The criminal activities of the twins several times came to the attention of the police, but the Kray name had grown to such a reputation for violence that witnesses would not come forward.

Their criminal activities continued behind their apparent social success. In 1967, Reg was persuaded by his brother to kill Jack "the Hat" McVitie, an unimportant member of the Kray gang who had stepped out of line. This wasn't the first murder the twins had committed. They were also implicated in the deaths of Frank Mitchell and George Cornell, the latter being shot at the notorious Blind Beggar pub by Ronnie in 1966. Despite a substantial reputation for violence, the twins were convicted of killing only McVitie and Cornell, though they are believed to have continued to hold influence in the underworld until their deaths.

There was a long-running campaign, with much celebrity support, to have the twins released from prison, but successive Home Secretaries vetoed the idea. Ron was eventually once more certified insane and lived out the remainder of his life detained in Broadmoor Hospital in Crowthorne, dying in 1995.

Reg was a different story, however. For many years he was Category A prisoner, one who is denied almost all liberties, and cannot mix with other prisoners. Such treatment frequently sends men mad, but Reg seemed to maintain some sense of humour about his situation, writing a fitness manual (never published) called The Reg Kray Book of Exercises for People in Confined Spaces. He was freed on 26 August 2000 on compassionate grounds as a result of inoperable cancer. On 1 October 2000, Reg Kray died a free man.