London’s drug market is constantly evolving. ibid.
The Firm was a hand-picked bunch of men they could rely on. Natural Born Outlaws s1e9: The Krays, 2015
‘Charlie Richardson was the epitome of the self-made man.’ Natural Born Outlaws s1e10: The Richardsons
April 1967: The Richardson trial begins in London: The press have a name for it – the Torture Trial. ibid.
Identical twins Reg and Ron Kray grew up on the mean streets of east London, and had to rely on their fists just to survive ... Identical enforcers of the London underground. Evil Twins: Reg and Ron Kray s1e10, CI 2016
The Kray twins were arrested following a neighbourhood brawl. Now for the Twins the only path to greatness is a life of crime. ibid.
The Kray twins used violence and coercion to make a profit. The Kray twins muscled their way into money-laundering, theft and extortion. ibid.
In London 2016 according to the Metropolitan police there are 225 gangs that are operating across the city. Gangland e1: Turf Wars, Channel 5 2016
Random and organised acts of violence, even murder. ibid.
The weapons are fuelling the never-ending cycle of violence ... Age often determines what weapons are used. ibid.
‘We’re trying to get our families out of the hood.’ ibid.
Gang culture and the violence that surrounds it is gripping the streets of London. And the young people caught up in it are the collateral damage in this dangerous world. Gangland: Murder, Channel 5 2016
Knife crime is becoming normalised and a gateway for young people to enter into gangs, ruining lives across the capital. ibid.
Gang members in Croydon now feel the need to carry a weapon wherever they go. Gangland II: Death in Suburbia, Channel 5 2018
In Britain today young people continue to be lured into gangs. Selling illegal drugs is the main source of income for many London gangs. ibid.
The rival postcode gangs taunt each other using social media. ibid.
‘We thrive off the energy of being in a madness.’ ibid. former gangsta
But while the Krays basked in publicity, another gang, better organised and far more powerful, spread its violent influence away from the flash-bulbs. The underworld knew them as the Richardson Gang, or simply the Torture Mob. Real Crime [with Mark Austin] s1e6: The Gang the Krays Feared, ITV 2001
Nowadays Frankie Fraser has become a celebrity … The Dentist. ibid.
By the end of the ’50s the Richardsons’ tentacles spread across south London. ibid.
[Fraser] led a gang that slashed and bludgeoned Jack Spot, former king of the underworld. ibid.
Charlie Richardson did not want to go to war with the Krays. ibid.
Frankie Fraser ran the slot machine business with Eddie Richardson. ibid.
In November 1978 violence erupted in a villains’ drinking den beneath London’s Putney bridge. The body of gangsta Johnny Darke was dragged out with nine stab wounds to the back, chest and throat. Darke’s killer was on the run but could not hide for long: millions knew his face. Real Crime [with Mark Austin] s2e6: Starring John Bindon, ITV 2002
Vicky Hodge began to discover a side to Bindon she’d only seen on screen. ibid.
He was invited to David Bowie’s Christmas Eve party in 1973. ibid.
It was on the Caribbean island of Mustique in 1975 … Princess Margaret was in the company of a man she believed was an actor. ibid.
Bindon showed genuine acting ability but could not conceal his dark side for long. ibid.
‘Nobody steps on your home or your turf without permission.’ Inside the Gang s1e1: Young Blood, Channel 5 2017
This is life inside the gang. A hidden world where selling drugs, robbery and murder are a part of everyday life. Now there’s a new generation taking violence to a whole new level. Violence that shocks even the elders that have gone before them. This new generation are so brazen they are sharing their criminal activities to thousands on social media. And if you get in their way they won’t hesitate to take you out. ibid.
The number of young people carrying guns to commit gang violence is on the rise. ibid.
‘It’s jungle war, wild west out here.’ ibid.
London: The gangs are just as dangerous, just as violent … London has some of the highest crime rates in western Europe … According to police there are about 200 active gangs in London. Ross Kemp on Gangs s1e5: London, Sky 2006
There were 162 shootings in 2004 that left 18 people dead. ibid.
London is suffering an unprecedented wave of teen violence. Seven teenagers have been killed since the year began. I want to know what’s behind the violence and why children are using lethal weapons on each other. Ross Kemp on Gangs s2e5: South London, Sky 2006
In my day the youth gangs round here were groups of mates who had grown into petty crime together. ibid.
The Met estimates there are around 169 gangs with about 5,000 members in London. ibid.
We live in a golden age. A consumer age, they call it. For the first time ever ordinary common people are not only encouraged to have money, they’re expected to have it. Money to consume with. Money to buy happiness. Money to change the world. Where’s this money coming from? How do we get it? We have to take it. The Long Firm I: Teddy, Harry Starks, BBC 2004
My auntie May says I’m born to hang. ibid.
Harry’s desire for legitimacy definitely has its possibilities for me. ibid. Teddy
To be honest I’m worried about the precarious nature of Harry’s entrepreneurial activities. ibid.
He’s a one-man cycle of dysfunction. ibid.
Harry is like some dark and rogue planet pulling everyone into his magnetic field. ibid.
It’s called a Long Firm. One of the best scams around … Close up, you disappear and you leave Mr Pinker to pick up the pieces. ibid.
It was the height of Swinging Sixties and I’d spent ten years waiting to be Britain’s next blonde bombshell. The Long Firm II: Ruby
Eddie warning me about the Long Firm, the short cons, the dodgy property deal in Africa. ibid.
He was a Jewish homosexual wide boy with money and guts. ibid.
The porn trade was booming. Everybody wanted a piece of it and the money was ridiculous. ibid.
We’ve got to stop this. ibid. Ruby to Tommy
On the outside Harry always looks in control. But inside, inside he just wants to destroy himself. ibid. Ruby’s closing soliloque
Speed music. Music to pop pills by. Sell sell sell. Pills pills pills. All kinds: purple hearts, French blues, nigger minstrels, black bombers, uppers, leapers, anything to keep ’em leaping up and down on the dance floor. The Long Firm III: Jimmy
I love slutty women. Slutty women are the best. ibid.
Harry’s on the wrong medication. One suck on this magic blotter and Harry would clean forget all about hurting people. ibid.
Harry’s been arrested. Put on remand in Brixton to appear at the Old Bailey. They’re promising to throw the book at him. ibid.
To understand Harry here is to understand ourselves. The Long Firm IV: Lenny
Harry was beyond classification. Brighter than the others. And madder. ibid.
I am a godfather of sweet Fanny Adams. ibid. Harry
Harry started a B.Sc in Sociology with the Open University. Over the next few years we kept up a constant correspondence. ibid. Lenny