04/09/07 - Killer's brother never spoke to me, says Billy Murray
Echo

FORMER EastEnders actor Billy Murray has defended his new film about the Rettendon killings, after it was attacked by the brother of one of the men convicted of the murders. Murray, who played villain Johnny Allen in EastEnders, is the executive producer and one of the stars of the new movie, Rise of the Footsoldier.

He plays convicted killer Michael Steele, who was jailed alongside Jack Whomes for the notorious 1998 shotgun killings. Last week, John Whomes told the Echo he had pleaded with Murray not to use his brother's name in the film. However, the actor insists this is untrue. He claims he never spoke to Mr Whomes.

Murray said: "I have never spoken to John Whomes about the film or anything else. "I've got great sympathies with all the people involved in these terrible crimes. "Prisons are full of innocent people, but this film is not about that. Until the final appeal is heard, I wouldn't want to say what happened. "What we've done with the film is not say for definite what happened, but offer three different scenarios."

Murray, who lives in Brentwood, said he didn't want people to think of him as "just a cold-hearted film-maker" out to make money from the crime. He said: "If someone had come to me with concerns, I certainly would have listened. "I just hope people watching the film will be interested in what we've done."

The film concentrates on the life of gangster Carlton Leech and his relationship with the three men found blasted to death in a Range Rover in Rettendon - Pat Tate, Tony Tucker and Craig Rolfe. It opens this Friday. Rise of the Footsoldier is the second film to be made about the murders.

Bernard O'Mahoney's book, Essex Boys, was made into a film of the same name, starring Sean Bean, in 2000.