Kray Twins

Kray Twins

Twin brothers Ronald "Ronnie" Kray (24 October 1933 – 14 March 1995) and Reginald "Reggie" Kray (24 October 1933 – 1 October 2000) were English gangsters who were foremost perpetrators of organised crime in London's East End during the 1950s and '60s. Ronald, commonly referred to as Ron or Ronnie, most likely suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

With their gang, "The Firm", the Krays were involved in armed robberies, arson, protection rackets, assaults, and the murders of Jack "The Hat" McVitie and George Cornell.

As West End nightclub owners, they mixed with prominent entertainers including Diana Dors, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and with politicians. The Krays were much feared within their milieu, and in the '60s became celebrities in their own right, even being photographed by David Bailey and interviewed on television.

They were arrested on 9 May 1968 and convicted in 1969 by the efforts of a squad of detectives led by Detective Superintendent Leonard "Nipper" Read, and were both sentenced to life imprisonment.

Ronnie remained in Broadmoor Hospital until his death on 14 March 1995, but Reggie was released from prison on compassionate grounds in August 2000, eight weeks before his death from cancer.