When Frank Sinatra came to London in the early 1970s, he made a special visit in his limo to Eva in her little terrace house in South London to pay his respects. He was still serving his sentence for the Catford affray when he was handed a further 10 years for his part in the Richardson torture case. Frank's mother, Margaret, was a huge influence on him but his "best pal" and early partner in crime was his sister, Eva. Fraser earned his mad nickname during the second world war, when he managed to get himself out of military service by pretending to be mentally ill. To prove his unsuitability to the force, he assaulted a doctor before jumping out of the window at the Bradford assessment centre where he had been sent. [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. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. A famous Monty Python sketch featuring the Piranha brothers, Doug and Dinsdale, has often been associated with Fraser and the Kray twins and some aspects of the new documentary may add to this impression. The women, who carried razors wrapped in lace handkerchiefs, were known for violent outbursts - including one furore that resulted in a woman blinding a police officer by stabbing him in the eye with her hatpin. Sister of Frankie Davidson Fraser. During the 1950s, Fraser's main occupation was as bodyguard to well-known gangster Billy Hill. 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. The Frasers were both contemporaries of the Hatton Garden heist gang members many of whom also came from south London and who operated on the same bank robbing scene and shared jail cells with the Fraser boys at some point. Her story has been told in The Queen of Thieves, written by author Beezy Marsh, which sheds a light on the lives of the girl gang that gained the respect of male criminals because of their lucrative and violent methods. His major stretch in prison came at the end of the Swinging Sixties, shortly before his rivals, the Krays, were jailed, but he was so badly behaved behind bars that he lost every day of remission and even had five years added to his sentence for one of the worst riots in prison history at Parkhurst in the Isle of Wight. In 1966 he was charged with the murder of Richard Hart, who was shot at a club in Catford, but the charges were dropped when a witness changed their testimony. Questioned by police, Fraser reportedly gave his name as Tutankhamen (gangland slang for shtum) and asked What incident?. 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. She was taught by Alice Diamond in the 1930s and a very senior member throughout the. Underneath glamorous ensembles the women wore specially-adapted petticoats with hidden pockets or baggy bloomers with elastic at the knee. 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. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. Fraser spent practically half his life behind bars. Fraser, who was jailed for 10 years in the so-called "torture trial" in 1967, is now frail and in poor health. Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. Theres one account of one of Peggys colleagues pretending to still be single so she could carry on working as a Post Office manager. Whereas for Eva it was about her earning her own money on her own terms. The trial which became one of the longest in British criminal history. [11] In 1942, while serving a prison sentence in HM Prison Chelmsford, he came to the attention of the British Army. This resulted in Fraser returning to prison once again - this time to serve a seven-year sentence. 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. When Frankie was in prison, Eva helped to run his protection rackets in Soho and even sent her daughters to collect payments, as the police would not stop a child. His first conviction was for stealing cigarettes, and with the second he was sent to an approved school. Afraid of being heavily medicated for bad behaviour, Fraser stayed out of trouble and was released in 1955. But after shoving their stolen goods into waiting cars the women would head back to the grotty slums of Waterloo and Elephant and Castle - where their 'queen' exchanged the expensive items for a generous weekly wage. Mad Frank (1994), which went on to sell around 100,000 copies, was the first in a successful series. For latest book news including updates on the forthcoming film Mad Frank and Sons please like my page Beezy Marsh. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. Frasers partner in this endeavour was Bobby Warren, an uncle of the boxing promoter Frank Warren. When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. They set up a fruit machine enterprise, which they would sell to pub landlords, to cover up their crimes. The pair were the only ones of the children to embrace a life of crime. It was not that he thought he was Napoleon. He was a member of the Richardson gang or the 'torture gang', led by brothers Charlie and Eddie Richardson, and were widely feared in Londons underworld. During World War 2 he was a deserter - escaping from his barracks on several occasions. They would go through Selfridges department store in the West End and steal furs and expensive clothes. 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. But who were the gang's most brazen members? A witness later changed histestimony,and the charges were eventually dropped, though Fraser still received a five-year sentence for affray. 'The other side of the story involves these feisty women and it is perhaps more fascinating given the limited powers such working class girls had to earn a decent wage.'. 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. 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. The publisher also decided to include a glossary for the reader. A witness changed his testimony and the charges were eventually dropped, though Fraser still received a five-year sentence for affray. With Warren at his heels, Fraser ambushed Spot in a Paddington street, knocking him to the ground with a shillelagh. Prior to that he was a bodyguard to notorious gangland leader Billy Hill, where he took part in bank robberies and and carried out razor blade attacks - which earned him 50 a time. She helped him sell on his loot. Nothing ever got to Frankie, wrote Charlie Richardson. Members of The Forty Thieves worked department stores including Selfridges in teams of three or four during hoisting trips up to three times a week. However, according to a new documentary, he is clearly not going gentle into any good night. There was American Indian blood in him; his grandfather had emigrated to Canada in the late 19th century and married a full-blooded American Indian woman. 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. He refused to discuss the shooting with the police. Those who had incurred Richardsons displeasure were wired up to a sinister black box with a wind-up handle that administered severe electric shocks to the genitals. Eric wasnt a bad fellow, Fraser later explained, but that particular night he was bang out of order.. But by the 1930s, the breeding ground for its recruits was South London. [9] He was a resident at a sheltered accommodation home in Peckham. Many of the Forty Thieves were noted for their beauty as well as their shoplifting skills, such as Madeline Partridge and her sister Laura (pictured left), whose mother was often used by Diamond to sell stolen goods. What Fraser invariably threatened was violence. After trying his hand at crime as a. When she married the father of five of her seven children, Chris Hawkins, he subjected her to cruel beatings - but quickly stopped following a warning from the Kray Twins. And I felt the same way,' she said. Eva (Fraser) Brindle. '", Frankie Fraser's Last Stand will be broadcast on the Crime and Investigation network on 16 June at 9pm, New TV documentary shows ex-gangland enforcer is far from mellowing with age and has few regrets about his life of crime, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Frankie Fraser has no regrets over his life of crime, which involved him being jailed for a total of 42 years for 26 offences. An early nickname Razor Fraser reflected his penchant for shivving his enemies faces with a cut-throat blade. He regularly led conducted tours of East End crime scenes, invariably ending up in the Blind Beggar pub where Ronnie Kray shot George Cornell dead. As a solicitor, I defended him in the trial following the Parkhurst riot and as a result wrote a number of books with him. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. She was an alcoholic and onceran out of a jeweller with a tray of 34 diamond rings and bumped straight into a policeman. It was during the war that he first became involved in serious crime, with the blackout and rationing, combined with the lack of professional policemen due to conscription, providing ample opportunities for criminal activities such as stealing from houses while the occupants were in air-raid shelters. Frankie Frasers wife Doreen, with whom he had four sons, died in 1999. View the profiles of people named Frankie Fraser. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Mad Frank. After another, the car ran out of petrol in the Rotherhithe tunnel. The years just after World War II were a boom time for the gang, as clothing was rationed until 1949. Frankie Fraser, who has died aged 90, was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s; 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. It has emerged that the former gangland enforcer, who has spent 42 years in prison for 26. Involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. On this release, he determined to write his memoirs. 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. Pictured: The female cast of the hit BBC show Peaky Blinders. The business came to an end in 1966 when a fight in a Catford night club, Mr Smiths, left a Kray associate, Dickie Hart, dead, and Richardson and Fraser, who was charged with Harts murder, in prison. I just waited, caught up with him, knocked him about and strung him up with his dog, Fraser remembered. Their alleged specialities included pulling teeth out using pliers, cutting off toes using bolt cutters and nailing victims to floors using 6-inch nails. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London. The comments below have not been moderated. Ms Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. He also attacked various governors. Aged seven, Ms Pitts was stealing milk and bread to provide food for her five siblings. After the war, Fraser was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller, for which he received a two-year prison sentence, mostly served atHMP Pentonville. Although he was conscripted, Fraser later boasted that he had never once worn the uniform, preferring to ignore call-up papers, desert and resume his criminal activities. Shortly afterwards, Fraser kidnapped Eric Mason, a Kray gang member, outside the Astor Club in Berkeley Square, with even direr consequences. The judge, Mr Justice Griffith-Jones, complained of attempts to nobble one of the jurors, but in the case of Fraser, who was tried separately, he directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty. There was also quite a comeuppance for both Patrick and David who both served their time. But she was once caught stealing stockings and was sent to prison.. These recollections, while often disordered and jumbled, nevertheless shed light on Frasers shameless and unrepentant defiance of the liberal consensus. 'Mad' Frankie Fraser: Sweet dapper. 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. [6] Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. Frankie Fraser, who has died aged 90, was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s; he spent 42 years behind bars before achieving a. Though like Eva, she struggled to come to terms with the choice facing women to work or marry. Following the Frankie Fraser story is akin to re-tracing the history of gangland London throughout the 20th Century. Part of his mouth was shot away in the incident. Ms Marsh said it 'was time to reappraise London's gangland' when she wrote The Queen of Thieves.
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