Читать книгу Ultimate Hard Bastards - The Truth About the Toughest Men in the World - Kate Kray - Страница 29
ОглавлениеHARD BASTARD
FREDDIE FOREMAN
Freddie Foreman resembles the sinister character of Mr. Christie from the notorious horror film 10 Rillington Place . He’s softly spoken. His eyes stare unblinkingly. He’s a man who has done what he’s done and doesn’t give a fuck who knows it!
One of the things that I didn’t know was that it was Freddie Foreman who was with Reggie Kray when Ronnie died, on St Patrick’s Day in 1995. Freddie was in Maidstone prison when he was told that Ron had died. When he heard the news of Ronnie’s untimely death he asked to be taken on to Reggie’s wing to comfort him. As soon as Reggie saw Fred, he burst into tears and hugged him. Fred comforted Reg the best he could.
They had a long friendship that stretched over more than 40 years. A jug of green hooch appeared from another friend and Fred stayed with Reg all day. They talked of the old days and of fond memories of Ron. The inmates kept them supplied with more jugs of green stuff.
They weren’t hungry, but sandwiches came by the platefuls – tuna, ham and more green stuff. The old friends stayed together for a day and a night. Reg asked Fred to be a pallbearer at Ronnie’s funeral.
When Fred told me this story some five years later while I was interviewing him for this book, his voice cracked with emotion. I saw Freddie Foreman with a tear in his eye as he remembered his old friend. Who says that tough men don’t cry?
BACKGROUND
I am one of five brothers – Wally, Herbie, George and Bert. All of us are products of the war years. Unlike my brothers, I was too young to serve in the Army, so I lived off my wits and thieved off the pavement. By the time I was 18, I’d become a full-time thief. My social life was exciting and fulfilling and I was fit and ready to take on the world.
LIFE OF CRIME
I’ve been sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder and disposing of a body, but have served 14 years.
WEAPONRY
I was a professional boxer and had over 40 professional fights. So I would say that I can have a ‘straightener’, but I prefer to use a gun.
TOUGHEST MOMENT
On my birthday, I was sentenced to ten years for disposing of Jack ‘The Hat’ McVitie’s body. I was taken to the cells beneath the court and was given another ten years for murdering Frank ‘the Mad Axeman’ Mitchell. I’d say that was a tough moment and a pretty shit birthday!
IS THERE ANYONE YOU ADMIRE?
Ed Bunker, who served 20 years behind bars in America. He played Mr Blue in the film Reservoir Dogs. Once released from prison, he didn’t just blend into the background, he got on with his life and became a successful writer, writing magnificent books like Runaway Train and Dog Eat Dog.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN HANGING?
No, definitely not. It’s been proven that innocent men have gone to the gallows. Perverts and child abusers should not be hanged, they should be chopped up and fed to the dogs. Myself, I would like to take them fishing.
IS PRISON A DETERRENT?
No. Prison is a breeding ground for crime, but what else is there? Short, sharp, shock treatment was a good idea. National Service was a good idea; tagging another. I think the answer today is to educate kids. Ninety per cent of tearaways can’t read or write.
Once the hormones start kicking in, we have a problem. Testosterone is a powerful thing. If we shake up our education system and revise the National Curriculum, then perhaps things will change.
WHAT WOULD HAVE DETERRED YOU FROM A LIFE OF CRIME?
A good education. It would have been easier to earn money the straight way rather than the crooked – less hazardous.
WHAT MAKES A TOUGH GUY?
Tough guys are a rare breed. But when you come across a real tough man, you’ve no doubt. They are courteous, polite, not loud and full of veiled threats. You sense their danger; almost taste it. A smiling viper!
FREDDIE’S FINAL THOUGHT
Old professional criminals don’t exist any more – Maggie Thatcher took care of that. She gave the police a licence to shoot armed criminals in certain circumstances. While she was in government, more armed robbers were shot dead than at any other time. Modern technology has taken care of the rest – surveillance cameras are everywhere.
Nowadays, most crime is drug-related. Petty crimes by petty criminals. Drugs frazzle brains, leaving the person with no morals or standards. I’m one of the old school where there was honour amongst thieves. When I was at it, I wouldn’t have dreamed of burgling a neighbour’s house. It was the ‘haves and have-nots’. I’d target big banks, post offices and security companies. I’d never hurt the normal man in the street; I’d only hurt other gangsters if they did me a wrong or crossed me in my line of business.
Sure, I’ve gunned down quite a few men throughout my life – Frank Mitchell and Ginger Marks, to name but two – but I don’t regret murdering them one bit. After killing them, I wrapped them up in chicken wire attached to weights and buried them far out at sea, away from fishing lanes, deep beneath the cold, muddy waters of the English Channel. I’d been told by an American friend that bodies weighed down in this way would never find their way to the surface but would slowly be devoured by crabs and other deep-sea creatures.
There has always been great speculation and mystery surrounding the demise of Jack The Hat, Frank Mitchell and Ginger Marks, and how their bodies were disposed of. Only a few people – perhaps a handful of close friends – knew that it was me that took them on a fishing trip!
The only regret I’ve got in my life is that I’d like to have killed a couple more men, but, lucky for them and unfortunately for me, I missed ’em! Oh yeah, and the other regret I’ve got is being caught. Must dash, I’m going fishing.
