Notorious Kray Twins Rival Charlie Richardson Dies, Aged 78

Charlie Richardson, one of the most violent criminals of the 1960s known for his notorious rivalry with the Kray Twins, has died aged 78. Boss of the infamous Richardson gang, Charlie’s punishments included cigarette burning, electric shocks, pulling teeth and whippings. Lovely.

Despite those heinous methods, Richardson and his gang were best known for specialising in pinning their victims to the floor with 6 inch nails and removing their toes with bolt cutters. Though a violent criminal, the mob boss also presided over a hugely profitable business empire stretching from London’s West End clubs to mines in South Africa. He was arrested on the day of the World Cup Final in 1966 and subsequently convicted of assault, robbery and demanding money with menaces, being sentenced to 25 years’ in jail. His close friend Bobby Cummines (who was awarded an OBE for his services to reforming offenders) paid tribute to the late gangster this week, telling the Daily Mirror, “Whatever anyone says, he paid for his crimes and his family will miss him…Charlie had a past of course but he was a very educated man…There was a hard side to him and he wasn’t a man you would want to mess with but he was also my best friend and a father…He was very much against young people making the same mistakes as him.”

Richardson escaped from an open prison in 1980 and went on the run for almost a year. At one point, he was found to be dressing as Santa Claus and giving out presents to children, in a bid to publicise his request for freedom. On his return to prison, he lobbied authorities to find ways on keeping youngster out of jail.