Kray 'murdered brother's wife'

The Krays are still romanticised in the East End

A former gay lover and prison confidant of Reggie Kray has alleged the gangster revealed his first wife was murdered by twin brother Ronnie.

Police have long suspected that the infamous Kray twins committed more murders than those for which they were imprisoned for life in 1969.

An inquest at the time concluded Frances Kray had committed suicide.

Bradley Allardyce says that Reggie's wife Frances was forced by his brother Ronnie to take the pills that killed her.

Gangland murder

Bradley Allardyce was released from prison three years ago after serving nine years for armed robbery.

He spent three of those years in Maidstone prison, four cells along the landing from Reggie Kray.

Kray, who died two years ago, was serving life for the murder of Jack "the Hat" McVitie.

Ronnie Kray was openly gay

Kray and Allardyce both denied they were more than just friends.

But Allardyce told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I am openly admitting for the first time that we had a sexual relationship as much as it was against my will and he knew it was against my will.

"So I was always in denial."

But he added: "There is not one day I would change with mine and Reggie's relationship."

The pair spent most of their time at Maidstone in each other's company.

Kray confidences

Allardyce revealed that on one night in prison Reggie Kray revealed to him the crime that haunted him the most - the apparent suicide of his first wife.

"I was sitting in my cell with Reg and it was one of those nights where we turned the lights down low and put some nice music on and sometimes he would reminisce.

When [Frances] first came onto the scene the first reaction from Ronnie was jealousy, sheer and utter jealousy

Maureen Flanagan
Family friend

"He would get really deep and open up to me.

"He suddenly broke down and said 'I'm going to tell you something I've only ever told two people and something I've carried around with me' - something that had been a black hole since the day he found out.

"He put his head on my shoulder and told me Ron killed Frances. He told Reg what he had done two days after."

Maureen Flanagan, a frequent visitor to the Kray home and their mother's hairdresser, also visited the twins in prison and later helped arrange their funerals.

Inseparable bond

She believes Kray loved Allardyce.

"I think it started off with companionship and I think it grew into a love.

"There was definitely a bond there which was probably inseparable.

Reggie Kray married while in prison but was bisexual

"I don't think he gave it to anybody else for the rest of his life."

Flanagan was also close to the girl who became Reggie's first wife.

"When she first came onto the scene the first reaction from Ronnie was jealousy, sheer and utter jealousy.

"Someone else is coming in to separate them two - he did not want to be separated."

The Krays' years of crime were ended by a team of Scotland yard detectives led by Leonard "Nipper" Read, who thinks the allegations should be investigated.

"Whatever else it is it is an allegation of murder - somebody has made an extreme allegation.

"If this had been reported to me at the stage I was at that time, investigating the whole area of what the Krays might be up to it would have gone into the scale of allegations that must be pursued and that would have been pursued with vigour.

"It would have added weight to the allegation that these were indiscriminate murders."

All of the protagonists, except Allardyce, are dead, but Scotland Yard have told Today they will investigate.