Moment brazen thieves jump behind counter at Chicago Drug baron, 58, who 'hid 198MILLION fortune from police' is Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' [9] Fraser spent practically half his life behind bars. Involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. Borstal was followed by prison, where in 1943 he met the influential London villain Billy Hill, for whom he worked on and off for more than a decade, culminating in his slashing of Hills rival Jack Spot in 1956 after the self-styled kings of the underworld had fallen out. Their view on Hatton Garden was that the world had moved on and robbing banks now was akin to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid trying to get away on horseback, while the police gave chase in cars. From the time of Frankie Fraser's sister Eva and the gang of hoisters The Forty Thieves, comes a book which will have you gripped this summer. He was released from prison in 1985.[17]. Pictured, Marble Arch and Oxford Circus in the 1920s, Petite shoplifter Bertha Tappenden (right) stood just over 5ft 2in tall, but was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man in Lambeth, after kicking down his front door and attacking him with razors and knives, to settle a score, aided by Diamond and another gang girl, Gertrude Scully (left). Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Do not sell or share my personal information. [26] On 21 November 2014, he fell critically ill during leg surgery at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill[27] and was placed into an induced coma. His wife, Doreen, whom he married in 1965, and who with Eva loyally toured the prisons to visit him, died in 1999. in development with Fraser's endorsement. Facebook gives people the power. The youngest of five children, he grew up in poverty in the Elephant and Castle and Borough, areas teeming with moneylenders, prostitutes and backstreet abortionists. Fraser had no problem dealing with rival operators whose business was dented as a result. [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. With Warren at his heels, Fraser ambushed Spot in a Paddington street, knocking him to the ground with a shillelagh. Born near Waterloo station, central London, he was the fifth child of a poor family. But little by little, over weeks and months of interviews, cups of tea and chats, their life stories emerged and with that came a fascinating insight into the Fraser family history and what really made Frank tick. However, according to a new documentary, he is clearly not going gentle into any good night. [14] According to Fraser, it was they who helped him avoid arrest for the Great Train Robbery by bribing a policeman. A bucket boy would offer to clean the bookies' blackboards with a sponge, for which they were obliged to pay the Sabinis. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders, including Billy Hill in the 1950s and the Richardson gang in the 1960s. When the heat from the cops in London got too much, they headed off to the Costa del Crime to seek their fortunes there. She had died in 2000 but her daughter Beverley, who shared Evas reticent nature, agreed to talk to me and that revealed that Eva had been leading criminal in her own right. His fourth son, Francis, in Frasers joking words, let me down by having no criminal career at all. Despite this, or possibly because of it, newspapers of the day were tipping him as Spots natural successor. While serving this sentence, Fraser received 10 years for his part in the so-called Richardson torture trial. When he was 10, the pair stole a cigarette machine from a local pub, hauled it to some waste ground and jemmied it open. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Indeed, his criminality was closely bound up with what one criminologist described as an overt almost Samurai vindication of violent action in pursuit of inverted honour. Last seen in public in October at the funeral of his former boss, Charlie Richardson, Fraser is one of the few remaining members of a generation of "celebrity criminals". He built a reputation as an enforcer and strongman for various gang leaders, including Billy Hill, self-styled King of Britains Underworld in the 1940s and 1950s and, in the 1960s, the Richardson brothers. The book upset some of those mentioned in it, and Morton was dismayed to arrive home one evening to find a message from Fraser on his answering machine, demanding to speak to him urgently. Even the gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, whose sister Eva was a leading light in the gang in the thirties and forties, spoke with great reverence about Alice Diamond. Shegot her first criminal record aged just 14 and, in 1923, she was jailed after running out of a jeweller's with a tray of 34 diamond rings straight into the arms of a policeman. [3][4], Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London. Eva knew the Krays well and they treated her with reverence, although she saw them as little more than naughty boys. 'In fact, she was one of the people who spotted his talent for stealing after he pinched a cigarette machine from a hotel as a small boy. Frankie Fraser was known anotorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders. Jewellery was a favourite target, as it was easy to hide up a sleeve - rings could be switched for worthless fakes. Having chronicled the life of old mad Frank, author Beezy Marsh has turned her pen to Peggy, Kathleen and Eva; in her new book Keeping My Sisters Secrets. ', As the photographs show, the women often wore beautifully designed hats , coats and dresses in order to fit in, known as 'putting on the posh'. The Richardson Gang was an English crime gang based in South London, England in the 1960s.Also known as the "Torture Gang", they had a reputation as some of London's most sadistic gangsters. After the war, he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill, for whom he carried out razor attacks. The first came when he was in the army during the second world war, the second time when he was sent to Cane Hill psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon, Surrey, and the third when he was transferred from Durham prison to Broadmoor. When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road inWaterloo,London on December 13, 1923. The criminal, who has spent almost half his life in prison, passed away earlier at King's. 'In fact, she was one of the people who spotted his talent for stealing after he pinched a cigarette machine from a hotel as a small boy. 'Any girl worth her salt in South London in those days was a. But by the time of his death at the age of 90 from complications following leg surgery, Fraser had become something of a minor celebrity. He has been part of the most infamous criminal gangs of the past 100 years, while maintaining his South London roots and deep devotion to his family. The memoir KEEPING MY SISTER'S SECRETS, (Pan Macmillan 2017) tells the moving story of three sisters born into poverty in 1930s London and their fight for a survival through a decade of social upheaval. "At the races, I'd be bucket boy," says Fraser in the documentary, Frankie Fraser's Last Stand, which will be broadcast on the Crime and Investigation network on 16 June at 9pm. The comments below have not been moderated. [23] In 1991, Fraser was shot in the head from close range in an apparent murder attempt outside the Turnmills Club in Clerkenwell, London. Frankie Fraser was a south London gangster who knew no language but violence and spent half his life behind bars. Eva knew the Krays well and they treated her with reverence, although she saw them as little more than naughty boys. After Frasers release from the Spot sentence, he was courted by the Kray Twins and the Richardson gang. His life of crime started aged nine when he worked for the notorious Sabini gang, which ran protection rackets at the racecourses at a time when off-course betting was illegal. Another of Fraser's grandsons, James Fraser, also spent a short time with Bristol Rovers. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, 'Mad' Frankie Fraser was a notorious English gangster, Funeral of South London enforcer, FRANKIE FRASER at Honour Oak Crematorium, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). The following year, the British mobster Jack Spot and wife Rita were attacked, on Hill's say-so, by Fraser, Bobby Warren and at least half a dozen other men. Fraser, tried separately, was jailed for 10. Both Fraser and Warren were given seven years for their acts of violence. His funeral took place on December 18, 2014. Aged seven, Ms Pitts was stealing milk and bread to provide food for her five siblings. So it was in January 1965, when a club owner called Benny Coulston was hauled before Richardson for swindling him out of 600 over a consignment of cigarettes. Furs were rolled on the hanger and tucked into the women's undergarments when the store assistant was distracted, while jewellery and watches were swapped for fake versions and hidden under hats or in their hair. End-right girl on the back row is Eva.. VIEWS Every old-school south Londoner knows the folklore of cockney criminal Frankie Fraser, whose violent tendencies were infamous on the streets of Walworth. Both Fraser and Warren received seven-year sentences. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. 'MAD' Frankie Fraser, was one of the most feared and respected West End crime lords of the 1960s. Their alleged specialities included pulling teeth out using pliers, cutting off toes using bolt cutters and nailing victims to floors using 6-inch nails. [22], Fraser gave gangland tours around London, where he highlighted infamous criminal locations such as The Blind Beggar pub. His decision to join the Richardsons rather than their rivals, the Krays, has been described as "like China getting the atom bomb". For latest book news including updates on the forthcoming film Mad Frank and Sons please like my page Beezy Marsh. When caught by police she replied: 'I don't know anything about it.'. There were further language difficulties. 'They didn't see anything wrong in it because these things were too expensive for most people to afford and shops had insurance. A witness changed his testimony and the charges were eventually dropped, though Fraser still received a five-year sentence for affray. But his criminal activities didn't stop when he was locked up. During his time behind bars he was involved in violence and was a major instigator in the Parkhurst Prison riots in 1969. Frank had been active as a criminal from the 1930s and was given his first prison sentence at the outbreak of the Second World War. Born on Cornwall Road, Waterloo, Lambeth, South London, Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. Various members were eventually caught, though and served their time in Holloway prison, where rations were meagre and they slept on boards. Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. A feature film production is currently[when?] She lived an unashamedly lavish lifestyle and splashed her money around. Fraser himself was accused of pulling out the teeth of victims with a pair of pliers. The women were completely faithful to their leader, known as the queen, who doled out harsh punishments and carried strict rules including not helping police officers by informing. "If you play by the sword, you've got to expect the sword as well," says his son. Ronald 'Ronnie' Kray and Reginald 'Reggie' Kray, were identical twin brothers who led an organised crime ring in East London from the late 1950s to 1967. The gang's ringleaders appeared in a secret register of criminals, that is now kept by the National Archives, which then existed to help police track down the most persistent offenders. 'I felt it was time for their story to be told and it inspired my novel, which is the first in a planned trilogy for Orion about the gang, stretching from the 1920s to the 1950s.'. She was taught by Alice Diamond in the 1930s and a very senior member throughout the. She was one of the top thieves during the war. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Whatever you nicked you could sell, they'd be queuing up to buy it off you.". End-right girl on the back row is Eva.. Every old-school south Londoner knows the folklore of cockney criminal Frankie Fraser, whose violent tendencies were infamous on the streets of Walworth. After trying his hand at crime as a. He chose the latter because they had taken sides on behalf of his sisters husband, Tommy Brindle, who had received a heavy beating by the Rosa brothers from the Elephant and Castle. He was also tried in court in the so-called 'Torture trial', in which members of the Richardson Gang were charged with burning, electrocuting and whipping those found guilty of disloyalty by a kangaroo court. At least two home secretaries considered Fraser the most dangerous man in Britain, an image which, in old age, he only half-heartedly sought to dispel. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. [15] In 1966, Fraser was charged with the murder of Richard Hart, who was shot at Mr Smith's club in Catford while other Richardson associates, including Jimmy Moody, were charged with affray. His greatest moment of national notoriety came during what was known as the 'torture trial' of the Richardson gang in 1967, which became . For other inquiries, Contact Us. Fraser also appeared as East End crime boss Pops Den in the feature film Hard Men, a forerunner of British gangster movies such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and had a documentary made of his life, Mad Frank. At signing sessions of his books he was always willing to be photographed pretending to extract a tooth with pliers brought by the fan. She would send her girls out in teams of three or four at least three days a week, to stores all over London and as far afield as Birmingham and Brighton. Here are some pictures of Eva Fraser of the Forty Thieves and her sister Kathleen. He was given an asbo, one of his sons told film-makers, after getting into an argument with a fellow-resident and is unrepentant about his life of crime. David had perfected the prison whisper talking very quietly, in case he was overheard by the guards. In 1996, he played (his friend) William Donaldson's guide to Marbella in the infamous BBC Radio 4 series A Retiring Fellow. Fraser considered that Lawton had meted out cruel and vindictive punishment to him at Pentonville in 1948, and to avenge himself Fraser assumed the role of hangman. Updated November 28, 2014 2.43pmfirst published at 2.41pm Save Share Are you sure you want to delete this comment? In the early half of the 20th century one queen, Diamond, regularly appeared in the press where she was once described as a 'tall and commanding figure with a cool demeanour'. Fraser was the youngest of five children who were growing up in poverty - he first turned to crime at the tender age of 10, alongside his sister Eva. He spent 42 years behind bars before achieving a certain cult status in later life as an author, after-dinner speaker, television pundit and tour guide. When police visited she showed them ledgers to demonstrate her honest buying. She helped support her young siblings by taking milk and bread from neighbour's doorsteps. He really did live by a code of honour which he took with him to the grave. Prisoners and ex-prisoners all over Britain speak about him with undisguised admiration. [24], Fraser's wife, by whom he had four sons, died in 1999. "As I was growing up, I never had to buy a shirt Eva made sure she nicked them for me. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Joining the Forty Thieves was something of a right of passage for Eva Fraser. Franks mother, Margaret, was a huge influence on him but his best pal and early partner in crime was his sister, Eva. As people facedblackouts, rationing and a lack of professional policing due toconscription, Fraser had ample opportunities for criminal activities, such as stealing from houses while the occupants were hiding for safety in air-raid shelters. Following a trial at the Old Bailey in 1967, he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. Photograph: Alex Segre/Rex. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. She once stabbed a policeman in the eye with a hatpin, blinding him. The middle sister was Kathleen, who constantly aspired to make it as an actress, and make use of her striking good looks. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. ", A deserter during the war he pretended to be mad to avoid the call-up Fraser was certified insane three times and spent time in Broadmoor secure hospital. He may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. And I felt the same way,' she said. In the second part, she reveals how Frank wasnt the only member of his family with a chequered past. Nothing ever got to Frankie, wrote Charlie Richardson. Eva got six months for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. It wasnt that we chose to be thieves, said Patrick. Frank Davidson Fraser (13 December 1923 - 26 November 2014), better known as 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, was an English gangster who spent 42 years in prison for numerous violent offences. By the time of the Swinging Sixties, she was drinking champagne with the Krays. Many started as child lookouts. When the police arrived, they found Hart lying under a lilac tree in a nearby garden. Fraser received seven years. The following year, the British mobsterJack Spotand wife Rita were attacked on Billy Hill's say-so, by Fraser, Bobby Warren and at least half a dozen other men. He was working all the hours he got sent, but he couldnt make ends meet. Possessed of a ready wit and good repartee, he followed this up with stage performances both in the East and West End, where he appeared with his then companion of 10 years, Marilyn Wisbey, the daughter of a Great Train Robber, Tommy Wisbey. Queen of Thieves, by author and journalist Beezy Marsh (published by Orion, November 4 2021, 8.99). Before World War Two, if you got married you were expected to leave work and stay at home, Beezy said. Such were the criminal opportunities during the war, Fraser joked in a television interview years later, that he had never forgiven the Germans for surrendering. On this release, he determined to write his memoirs. During the 1950s, Fraser's main occupation was as bodyguard to well-known gangster Billy Hill. His gangster boss Charles Richardson remembered him as one of the most polite, mild-mannered men Ive met but he has a bad temper on him sometimes. Because of the type of person I am, he wrote, in the life I led, you learn to shrug off adversity better than people whove worked hard all their lives.. By Emer Scully and Beezy Marsh for MailOnline, Published: 10:41 GMT, 4 November 2021 | Updated: 13:07 GMT, 4 November 2021. Swathed in luxurious fur coats, wearing diamond rings as a knuckledusters and hats to hide their stolen wares, Britain's most notorious all-female gang ruledthe tenements of Waterloo and Elephant and Castle and earned the respect of Soho's most feared underworld bosses. Tony Lambrianou, a one-time henchman of the rival Kray brothers, was also a fan. The Old Bailey jury heard, in grisly detail that still resonates 50 years on, how Frankie Fraser tried to pull Coulstons teeth out one by one with a pair of pliers. ", Of the war years, when he was heavily involved in theft from bombed-out stores, he says: "You wanted to win the war but you wanted it to go on for ever. They didnt go to jail, they did bird or got a lagging. He then worked for legendary Soho crime boss Billy Hill in the 1950s, earning the nickname razor Fraser for his attacks on those who crossed him, before becoming embroiled in protection rackets in the 1960s, rising to the position of the Boss of Soho. Frank Davidson Fraser[1] (13 December 1923 26 November 2014),[2] better known as "Mad" Frankie Fraser, was an English gangster who spent 42 years in prison for numerous violent offences. Some became pals with young actresses as they partied in Soho nightclubs and stole dresses to order for them to wear on the red carpet. It sounds like the worst days of Prohibition in Chicago rather than London in 1956, complained Mr Justice Donovan, but words were wasted on Fraser. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. It spent six weeks in the Sunday Times top ten and held the coveted #1 Globe and Mail chart slot in Canada for three months. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please He claimed to have no regrets about his criminal life, apart from being caught. Whilst in Strangeways, Manchester in 1980, Fraser was 'excused boots' as he claimed he had problems with his feet because another prisoner had dropped a bucket of boiling water on them after Fraser had hit him; he was allowed to wear slippers. 42 years a lag She had died in. In 1945, when he was 21, he assaulted the governor at Shrewsbury prison with an ebony ruler snatched from the governors desk, for which he received 18 strokes of the cat. 'And they were the best fun for a night out.'. He also attacked various governors. Because of Frasers behaviour in jail over the years, he forfeited almost every day of his remission. He undoubtedly had a wicked temper and a lack of empathy as seen in his capability for violence but he described that to me in terms of a soldier doing his job. Comments have been closed on this article. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. I just waited, caught up with him, knocked him about and strung him up with his dog, Fraser remembered. Members of The Forty Thieves, whose mugshots were captured by the Police Gazette ahead of regular stays at Holloway Prison, often wore beautifully designed hats, coats and dresses in order to fit in - known as 'putting on the posh'. When shoplifting she used a number of techniques including: wearing different wigs, putting stolen items under her skirt and the use of barrier bags lined with tin foil to prevent the detection of security tags. [25] In June 2013, the 89-year-old Fraser was served with an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) by police after a row with another resident. "Hill paid by the stitch if you put 50 stitches in a man's face, you could expect 50," says James Morton, Fraser's biographer. Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. She liked to earn her own money and paid her own way quite something for a young woman in the 1930s and 1940s. He was then then given a 15-month prison sentence atHMP Wandsworthfor shop-breaking - this was just the first of 20 prisons Fraser would be sent to. If you weren't actually stealing, you were outranked by The Forty Thieves. But who were the gang's most brazen members? [13], It was in the early 1960s that Fraser first met Charlie and Eddie Richardson of the Richardson Gang, rivals to the Kray twins. Editors' Code of Practice. Fraser was jailed along with other members of the Richardson gang for violently punishing people whom the Richardsons believed owed them money.