It has emerged that the former gangland enforcer, who has spent 42 years in prison for 26 offences, has been issued with an asbo after an incident in his residential accommodation. 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. He had an ungovernable temper and an inability to think through the undoubted consequences of his proposed actions. Harry Styles put on an animated display as he took to the stage for a second night at the Accor Stadium in Sydney's Olympic Park on Saturday.. The violent thugs, the Kray twins, held Eva Fraser in high regard because of her role in the gang and during the 1940s and 1950s and the Soho gang boss Billy Hill - brother of the fiery Ms Hughes - was careful not to encroach too much on their territory because he respected their right to earn their own money, free from male interference. As a young woman, Eva became an accomplished hoister (shoplifter). Frank's mother, Margaret, was a huge influence on him but his "best pal" and early partner in crime was his sister, Eva. But who were the gang's most brazen members? 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. He appeared on pop records and in television documentaries, toured his one-man show of criminal reminiscences (flexing a pair of gilded pliers), and found himself invited into bookshops to sign copies of his memoirs. A mugshot of Forty Thieves' Hughes, who was uncontrollable and dissipated by drink. Join Facebook to connect with Frankie Fraser and others you may know. The middle sister was Kathleen, who constantly aspired to make it as an actress, and make use of her striking good looks. They didnt go to jail, they did bird or got a lagging. He also claimed to have been the first bandit to wear a stocking mask. [9] He was a resident at a sheltered accommodation home in Peckham. [24], Fraser's wife, by whom he had four sons, died in 1999. Physically slight at only 5ft 4in, and invariably wearing a smile and in retirement a sharp Savile Row suit, Frankie Fraser was nevertheless a ferocious and brutal hatchet man. '", 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. She was one of the top thieves during the war. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's In the summer of 2013 it emerged that, at the age of 89, Fraser had been served with an Antisocial Behaviour Order (Asbo) after another incident, this time at his care home in Peckham, south London. [10], In 1941, Fraser was sent to borstal for breaking into a Waterloo hosiery store, then given a 15-month prison sentence at HM Prison Wandsworth for shop-breaking. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please Once he said he would do something, he did it, and he despised others who backed down. Frankie Fraser was a south London gangster who knew no language but violence and spent half his life behind bars. During the 1940s it was not unusual for 'hoisters', a historical term for shoplifters, to be paid a hundred pounds a week - out earning men's average wages ten-to-one. Fraser became a minor celebrity of sorts, appearing on television shows such as Operation Good Guys,[18] Shooting Stars,[19] and the satirical show Brass Eye,[20] where he said Noel Edmonds should be shot for killing Clive Anderson (an incident invented by the show's producers), and writing an autobiography. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. 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. A keen Arsenal supporter, Fraser had four sons, the first three of whom, Frank Jr, David and Patrick, followed to an extent in his footsteps. 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. People shook his hand in the street, others kissed him or asked for his autograph and taxi drivers honked their horns. Diamond's second-in-command Maggie Hughes (right) was known as 'Babyface' for her sweet looks and made a habit of cheekily shouting back at the judge when she was sentenced to jail: 'It won't cure me! Frasers partner in this endeavour was Bobby Warren, an uncle of the boxing promoter Frank Warren. Whatever you nicked you could sell, they'd be queuing up to buy it off you.". Over the last decade or so he was on the cabaret circuit and ran gangland tours of the East End, taking in such sights as the Blind Beggar pub, where Ronnie Kray shot dead George Cornell, one of the Richardson gang, in 1966. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s. It has emerged that the former gangland enforcer, who has spent 42 years in prison for 26. She was still hoisting well into her 70s.'. Beezy a former Sunday Times journalist whose biography Mad Frank & Sons was published last year was given unprecedented access to interview the family and learn about the three bold women, who grew up in Howley Terrace, in Waterloo during the 1930s. There was also quite a comeuppance for both Patrick and David who both served their time. 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). Peggy stayed out of crime and worked for the Post Office. 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. Fraser was jailed along with other members of the Richardson gang for violently punishing people whom the Richardsons believed owed them money. At the age of five, Fraser, running in the road to beg for cigarette cards, was knocked down, and from his injuries he developed meningitis. 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'. Her wartime experience was spent on the switchboards during the Blitz. On this release, he determined to write his memoirs. Always well turned out and ineffably polite and punctual, he had a large and appreciative audience, and one woman was so impressed she named her son after him. Alice herself was famous for clouting three furs in one go: one down each leg and one under her gusset. Queen of Thieves, by author and journalist Beezy Marsh (published by Orion, November 4 2021, 8.99). In 1996, he played (his friend) William Donaldson's guide to Marbella in the infamous BBC Radio 4 series A Retiring Fellow. Aged seven, Ms Pitts was stealing milk and bread to provide food for her five siblings. Mad Frank (1994), which went on to sell around 100,000 copies, was the first in a successful series. He refused to discuss the shooting with the police. She helped him sell on his loot. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. It wasnt that we chose to be thieves, said Patrick. Fraser, he recalled, was more than capable of doing what he threatened. The two Richardson brothers were convicted, and the elder, Charles, sentenced to 25 years. As her reign came to an end, Forty Thieves queen Diamondpassed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. She liked to earn her own money and paid her own way quite something for a young woman in the 1930s and 1940s. 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. But when her brother Frankie was in prison, she helped to run his protection rackets in Soho and even sent her daughters to collect payments, as the police would not stop a child. The family was hard-working and kept themselves clean [out of crime].. In the 1950s he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill and carried out razor attacks on victims for 50 each. Eva got into shoplifting, but had a heart of gold. 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. In 1938, she was sentenced for stabbing a policeman in the eye with a hatpin. At his funeral, one of his old prison friends summed him up: Whether he has gone upstairs or downstairs, I cant say, but wherever he is, you can be sure of this: he will be protesting about the conditions.. [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. In later life he would say that had there been an elder criminal member of the family to advise him, he would not have served his sentences in what was called the hard way. And I felt the same way,' she said. Charles Richardson was a criminal businessman who reputedly specialised in various tortures administered at secret courts at which he presided, sometimes robed like a judge, a knife or a gun to hand. 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. There were further language difficulties. Morton was relieved that, rather than remonstrating, Fraser wanted him to write his life story. There were car chases and bank raids which would not have looked out of place in The Sweeney. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? They stole to put food on the table. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London. Both Fraser and Warren received seven-year sentences. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Following the Frankie Fraser story is akin to re-tracing the history of gangland London throughout the 20th Century. The gang passed on their secrets from mother to daughter, aunt to niece, so whole generations of families saw crime as a way of life. When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. In 1969, Fraser was one of the ringleaders of the major Parkhurst Prison riot, which resulted in him spending the six weeks in the prison hospital due to his injuries. Author Beezy Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. '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. 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. We'll never send you spam or share your email address. MAD FRANK & SONS, by David Fraser, Patrick Fraser and Beezy Marsh is published by Sidgwick and Jackson on June 2. 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. 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. ', The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. 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. 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 violent thugs, the Kray twins, held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard during the 1940s and 1950s. Fraser, whose health has been deteriorating in recent years, turned to crime aged just nine when he and his sister, Eva, became petty thieves. Frankie Fraser was known anotorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders. What officers didn't know then was that his crime spree would continue over a career spanning seven decades, and his offences only worsened. They bought fur coats, jewellery and went dancing in West End nightclubs. Together they set up the Atlantic Machines fruit-machine enterprise, which acted as a front for the criminal activities of the gang. 'MAD' Frankie Fraser, was one of the most feared and respected West End crime lords of the 1960s. Tony Lambrianou, a one-time henchman of the rival Kray brothers, was also a fan. View the profiles of people named Frankie Fraser. During his time in prison, Fraser was involved in a number of riots and frequently fought with prison officers, fellow inmates and governors. 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. The Krays held Eva Fraser in high regard because of her role in the gang and during the 1940s and 1950s, and the Soho gang boss Billy Hill - brother of the fiery Maggie Hughes - was careful not to encroach too much on their territory because he respected their right to earn their own money, free from male interference. It was a thief's paradise, Gor blimey! He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . His parents were honest and hard-working, but Frankie and his big sister Eva, to whom he was closest, soon turned to crime. 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. I saved myself from Royal life, Harry says & insists 'sharing's an act of service', Love Island's Olivia Hawkins breaks silence as she returns to the UK, Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, Coronation Street fans horrified as Amy Barlow is raped in disturbing scenes, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Frankie Fraser was tried at the Old Bailey for Harts murder, while six others, including Eddie Richardson, faced lesser charges. Fraser had no problem dealing with rival operators whose business was dented as a result. Francis Davidson Fraser, known as Mad Frankie Fraser, was the scourge of prison governors and warders up and down Britain during the periods when he served a total of more than 40 years imprisonment. He was released from prison in 1985.[17]. A Gannett Company. An unregenerate villain of the deepest dye, Fraser satisfied the public appetite for vicarious thrill-seeking with a series of self-exculpatory memoirs in the 1990s that launched him on a twilight career as a celebrity criminal. Her brother was the notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, who joined turf wars between London gangs in the sixties. In August 1963, invited to take part in the Great Train Robbery, Fraser pulled out because he was on the run from the police. And involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. Following a trial at the Old Bailey in 1967, he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. A witness later changed histestimony,and the charges were eventually dropped, though Fraser still received a five-year sentence for affray. None of the gang were afraid to use razors on those who crossed them, Some of London's The Forty Thieves' antics made the Peaky Blinders look like choirboys. Each incident added more time to his sentence. She got six months in jail, for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. He was still touring clubs and pubs in 2011. Both Fraser and Warren were given seven years for their acts of violence. 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.