On this day in 1969, the Kray twins were convicted of murder

Reggie and Ronnie Kray were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End in the 1950s and ’60s. They were involved in armed robberies, arson, protection rackets, assaults and murders. They became celebrities in the ’60s, socialised with prominent entertainers such as Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland, had their photos taken by David Bailey and were even interviewed on television. They were so feared that no one would offer testimony against them.

Eventually the police arrested them and, with the twins safely in custody, witnesses came forward. On March 4 1969, the Krays were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 30 years: the longest sentences ever handed down at the Old Bailey.

From ‘London Map of Days’ by Mychael Barratt.

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