| Biography | Born in east London, the son of Charles and Violet Kray, he lived most of his life in the long shadow cast by his brothers, Ronnie and Reg Kray, who were seven years younger. The three boys shared the same room at 178 Vallance Road, Bethnal Green, and Charlie became, in effect, the twins' guardian during the second world war when they were evacuated from London to Suffolk. An accomplished amateur boxer, Charlie represented the Navy as a welterweight against the Army and the Air Force.
Charlie became his brothers' theatrical agent, responsible for booking acts at their bars and nightclubs, including The Double R. A goodlooking and affable man, he appeared to enjoy the glitz, becoming a confidant of Jackie Collins, Judy Garland, the boxer Sonny Liston and Christine Keeler. He had an affair with Barbara Windsor in the early 1960s, but this fizzled out when he refused to leave his wife, Dolly. He later divorced her when he found out she was having an affair.
When the twins' empire came crashing down in 1969, Charlie was inevitably dragged with them. Ronnie was convicted of shooting George Cornell at the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel. Reggie was found guilty of stabbing Jack "The Hat" McVitie. On limited evidence, Charlie was accused of helping the twins dispose of McVitie's body. He denied involvement (and continued to do so for the rest of his life), but was jailed for ten years.
When he was released in 1975 he tried a variety of jobs; from selling cutlery and silverware at the Ideal Home Exhibition to managing a pop group and property development
Kray was jailed at Woolwich crown court for twelve years for his role in plotting to bring cocaine worth £39m into the country. He was convicted of offering to supply the drug to undercover police officers and also of supplying two kilos of the drug worth £63,500. He claimed he was set up by the police. |