THE KRAY TWINS
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Ronnie and Reggie Kray were born in Hoxton in 1933. They became professional boxers in their teens and received dishonourable discharges from the army following their national service, before turning to organised crime. With their gang, "The Firm", the Krays became the most notorious gangsters of the 1950s and 60s, involved in armed robberies, arson, protection rackets, assaults and at least two murders.

As owners of a West End nightclub in the Swinging London scene they were able to mix with prominent entertainers, including Diana Dors, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland, and with politicians and the aristocracy. They became celebrities in their own right, even being photographed by David Bailey and interviewed on television. They were famously parodied as Doug and Dinsdale Piranha in Monty Python.

They were arrested on 9 May 1968 by Detective Superintendent "Nipper" Read, and were both sentenced to life imprisonment. Ronnie died in Broadmoor Hospital in 1995 and Reggie in 2000.


Kate Kray is the best selling author of Hard Bastards and Hard Bastards 2, Killers and The Twins: Men of Violence. Most notably, she wrote Pretty Boy, the story of East End Hard Man Roy Shaw, a number one on the Sunday Times list. Kate has also worked with photographer David Bailey on the award-winning book Diamond Geezers. Her marriage to Ronnie Kray gave her a unique insight into the world of criminal activity and has helped her gain access to Britain's most notorious gangsters. After successfully speaking at the Oxford Union Kate presented the top-rating TV Series Hard Bastards and is currently embarking on a career as a TV presenter.

Time Out London