Detailed Kray dossier unveiled days after detective kept meticulous reports on her notorious crime empire

A DETAILED Kray dossier will be revealed in days after a detective kept meticulous reports on their notorious crime empire.

Detective Chief Superintendent Leonard ‘Nipper’ Read recorded everything as he tried to find evidence and witnesses willing to testify to the nefarious brothers’ criminal acts.

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Ronnie and Reggie Kray were both notorious for their ruthless East End crime empires in the 1950s and 1960s.

In the early ’50s, the brothers formed their gang, The Firm, which would shape their criminal activities.

Under the umbrella of The Firm, they have been involved in armed robbery, arson, racketeering, mugging and murder for nearly two decades.

As he began investigating the infamous twins, Detective Read encountered a “wall of silence.”

By the end of 1967, however, he had amassed enough evidence against the Krays.

And on May 8, 1968, the Krays and 15 members of their gang were arrested.

Detective Read died of Covid in April 2020 at the age of 95 and his widow Pat, who also worked on the case, has now decided to put the never-before-seen documents up for auction.

The rare documents have been valued at a conservative estimate of £1,200.

In addition to Read’s reports, the documents include court records and transcripts from two lawsuits involving Ronnie and Reggie Kray.

The second trial was the longest and costliest murder trial in British criminal history and a media sensation, both receiving life sentences.

Read’s documents include transcripts covering each day of the 39-day hearing, as well as his additional reports, testimonies and evidence.

In his reports to the bosses, Read documents his efforts to bring the Krays to justice, and his frustration is very clear throughout.

He talks about attempts to tamper with witnesses and have juries dismissed.

From July 1964 he led a special unit at Scotland Yard to determine whether the Krays were running a protection racket against bookmakers, publicans and club owners in the East End.

Hew McCowan, owner of the Hideaway Club in Soho, finally agreed to testify that the Krays had asked for protection money.

They were accused of demanding money with threats and stood trial at the Old Bailey in March 1965, but not before attempting to buy Mr McCowan’s release through a mysterious man known only as “Johnnie” and attempting to to have the jury dismiss them as they thought they looked “too intelligent”.

They failed on both trials, but the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict and when a second trial was held, they were found not guilty.

‘ICONIC’

Read’s wife Pat, 84, said: “I was the first officer in the Kray investigation. Born in Hackney and raised in the right area, I didn’t know the Krays but I knew their names.

“This is where I met my husband, I was hired to drive him around. I enjoyed every minute of my work on the case. I think he did a great job.

“I had no idea he kept everything until my brother and I had to go through his office. He kept a lot of things and put things away.

“It will be interesting to see the sale. Everyone knows the Krays and is still interested in them to this day.

“My husband thought they were bastards, but he liked their mother.”

Mark Wilkinson of Sworders Auctioneers of Stansted Mountfitchert, Essex said: “This is probably our best Exceptional Auction.

“The documents related to the Krays are fascinating – you just never see that type of document at public auction. And this provenance, that it comes straight from Read’s estate, is very exciting for us.

“These documents give more texture to the history of the Krays. I don’t think the frustration Read felt at the time really conveyed what you see in these documents.

“You’ve never seen the light of day before. The Kray twins have a massive following, the last film was hugely popular and that time in London running their organization is an iconic time for Britain which is generating a lot of interest.”

Read was also an avid amateur boxer, hence his nickname Nipper, and held several senior boxing administrator positions after retiring from the police force in 1977.

Also on offer is a pair of boxing gloves signed by Muhammad Ali, which comes with a photo of Ali and Read taken shortly after the legendary Rumble in the Jungle fight in 1974 and has an estimate of £500.

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