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??/??/?? - Kray Allegations
BBC Radio 4 Today
The Metropolitan Police are to carry out fresh inquiries
after an investigation by the Today Programme uncovered
claims that Ronnie Kray killed the wife of his brother
Reggie.
Many in the East End of London, where the Krays grew up
and built their crime empire, consider the twins to be
romantic, Robin Hood-like figures who only killed other
criminals. Ronnie Kray was openly gay. Reggie always denied
what many suspected - that he was also attracted to men.
Now Reggie Kray's gay lover has spoken out for the first
time - to Today - and he says that Reggie's wife Frances
was forced - by his brother Ronnie - to take the pills
that killed her.
Bradley Allardyce moved to Altea, Spain, and opened a
restaurant after his release from prison three years ago.
He served nine years for armed robbery. He spent three
years in Maidstone Prison, four cells along the landing
from Reggie Kray.
Kray, who died two years ago, was serving life for the
murder of Jack 'the hat' McVitie. Both denied they were
more than just friends, until now. Allardyce said: "I
am openly admitting for the very first time that we had
a sexual relationship."
Ronnie Kray was openly gay but Reggie always denied what
many suspected - that he was also attracted to men. Friends
of Kray consider Allardyce to be the love of his life.
They spent most of their time at Maidstone in each other's
company.
So strong was their trust that just before Allardyce's
release, Kray gave him photos and letters. He also gave
him a tape cassette on which Reggie boasts of how Ronnie
murdered George Cornell. One night in prison Reggie Kray
revealed to Allardyce the crime that haunted him the most:
the apparent suicide of his first wife.
He revealed the secret as they relaxed in Kray's cell.
Allardyce said, "He just all of a sudden broke down
and he said: 'I've got to tell you something I've only
ever told two people - Ron killed Frances.'" Allardyce
says Ronnie confessed to Reggie two days after Frances'
death. Ronnie said he forced her to take the pills that
killed her.
Maureen Flanagan was a close friend of the Kray family
for more than forty years, and was also close to the girl
who became Reggie's wife, Frances Shea. She saw first
hand how Ronnie despised her.
Ms Flanagan told the Today Programme: "When she first
came on the scene, the first reaction from Ronnie was
jealousy. He thought someone else was coming in to separate
the them, and he did not want to be separated from Reggie."
The Krays' rule came to an end when they were arrested
by a team of Scotland Yard detectives, led by Leonard
'Nipper' Read. He thinks that Allardyce's statements should
- at the very least - be investigated. "If this had
been reported to me when I was investigating the whole
area of what the Krays were up to ... that would have
been pursued with vigour," Mr Read told Today.
"It would have added weight to the allegations that
these were indiscriminate murderers." All the people
involved, except Allardyce, are dead. But the Metropolitan
Police has said it will carry out fresh inquiries. Scotland
Yard have long suspected that the infamous Kray twins
committed more murders than those for which they were
imprisoned for life in 1969. |
| Contact : bernard.omahoney@bernardomahoney.com |
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