But then, he did have a privileged upbringing in Zanzibar before he had to learn to toughen up. I consider him a businessman who operated in the criminal world, Van Carter says. ", Celeb obsessed? The lessons speak for themselves: missing all your birthdays and Christmases and new years, missing out on your children growing up. He says he sees little of his own family now. "If you want it bad enough, youve got to go and get it.. In the trailer, we're told: "They used to say about him: don't mess with Fred or you're brown-bread - dead.". He was acquitted of the killing because of a lack of evidence, including the body, which Foreman says was dumped in the English Channel. Foremans criminal career began in the 1940s at age 16 when he lived in Battersea, in south London, then a tough neighbourhood. He also revealed a secret: He nearly went on the Hatton Garden job himself. Freddie Foreman blows the lid on one of the biggest stories in British crime, The Krays murder of Jack "The Hat" McVitie. He still works out, using two purple dumbbells. When one of the guards, who was blindfolded and tied to a chair, hesitated to reveal the vaults combination, the gang put lighter fluid under his nostrils and threatened to light a match, one of the thieves, Freddie Foreman, recalled recently. Almost everyone is gone, he says, pointing to a black-and-white photograph showing head shots of former Kray associates, including one who was shot in the leg by Reggie Kray in front of his wife and children. Once He Was the Godfather of British Crime. Now Hes Just a Grandfather. He lamented that his sons never visited. She would say, Fred Foreman, youre going to end up hanging from a noose. . Freddie tells us how Jack was a loo. And it would be fair to say that no one has acquired quite as many nicknames as Foreman. But my dad took things that didnt belong to him every day. He says the gang tried to recruit him and he regrets not going. Dads firm also congregated there. And, the thrill of once again being part of the game., He also reveals a secret: he nearly went on the Hatton Garden job himself. Fred is available on Digital 28th May and DVD on 4th June. "However, the time has now come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth, and I hope everyone will join with me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease," Freddie added. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Freddie, now 86 had the nickname"Brown Bread" Cockney rhyming slang for dead, Freddie the enforcer - whose 1960s nickname was 'Brown Bread', Freddie used to be a ruthless criminal and is still feared and revered to this day, Ronnie, right, and Reggie Kray were pals of Foreman's and The Firm, as their gang was known, ruled the dark streets of East London, Freddie was born in poverty in Battersea, London, and insists he experienced hard labour before turning to a life of crime, The Great Train Robbery of 1963 saw the theft of 2.3million from a travelling post office train headed to London from Glasgow, Freddie's son Jamie Foreman played Derek Branning in EastEnders between 2011 and 2012, Freddie was proud to provide his family with all the trappings of a luxurious life, Freddie says that the Kray twins had sympathetic sides to them and could be very generous with money, The Kray brothers were charged with engineering the jail escape of Frank "Mad Axe" Mitchell before murdering him, something Freddie still finds difficult to talk about, Freddie Foreman with Barbara Windsor in 1996, "I can't stand what's happening with the younger generation now with the knives," says Freddie, who insists he doesn't want to glamorise crime, Freddie admitted to shooting fellow Kray henchman Frank Mitchell in his 1996 autobiography, Respect, Former East End criminals Tony Lambriano, left and Freddie Foreman attend the funeral of Charlie Kray in 2000, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Violence, he stressed, had been a sometimes necessary and unfortunate occupational hazard, but it was never an end in itself. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Get a daily dose of showbiz gossip direct to your inbox. Mr. Foreman was never convicted of the Security Express robbery, but he was sentenced to nine years for handling stolen property. Handsome and strong, he says he apprenticed with a band of female thieves, who stuffed their bloomers with stolen mink furs, jewellery and clothing. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. In real life, Hopkins hasn . With strained family relations and declining health, Freddie finally felt it was time to tell all and revisits his old London haunts. "I'm not happy about this, Paul," he says at one stage as he revisits the scene in. I would still be there if I could, he adds wistfully. She is a drug addict and a all round horrible person, and I have completely cut her out of my life. Not much but Tom Hardy was amazing. FORMER Kray twins hitman Freddie Foreman has called for hero pensioner Richard Osborn-Brooks to be handed an award for bravery. Foreman, born into poverty in Battersea, London, began a life of crime in his early twenties by . But ask him what he thinks of himself today and his reply is"caring and loving". Freddie was very close to his Mum, and, I think, took a mischievous pleasure in trying to shock her. "I've served 16 years in prison: 16 Christmases, birthdays. Freddie Foreman former associate of the Kray Twins at the launch of his autobiography 'Respect'. I thought it was all the twins fault my dad was in prison and the very mention of their names made me livid. Jer believed that Freddie would have come out publicly had he lived long enough to see more compassionate times. I found that pattern in my hundreds of detailed interviews with estranged family members for Fault Lines. Much to his indignation, as there was then no extradition treaty between Spain and the UK, he was hoisted back to England still in his shorts and flip-flops. FREDDIE MERCURY'S MUM UNVEILS MEMORIAL TO ICONIC SINGER, Baby Freddie Mercury and his mother Jer Bulsara, Freddie Mercury and his Mother, Jer Bulsara, Freddie's mum Jer and sister Kashmira, who protected his legacy after he died, Freddie performing at Wembley with Queen in July 1986, Freddie's father Bomi with Jer and Kashmari at the unveiling of the Queen star's statue in Montreux, Jer died in 2016, with Brian May paying a sweet tribute to her. Today its hard to reconcile the old man who sits across from me with someone who was once one of Londons most feared hard men. I felt linked to something nefarious and secretive. Fred is the only gangster who lived through the turbulent history of the British underworld and survived to tell the tale. I remember being blown out of my bed by an explosion and seeing childrens bodies on the streets, he said. Even though he lived openly with a succession of boyfriends, and moved his life partner Jim Hutton in to his west London mansion in his final years, Freddie made a conscious decision to never come out to his parents. At the height of his career in crime, Freddie and his wife Maureen lived in a five-bedroom house . Bomi then passed away in 2003 at the age of 95. After participating in the robbery in 1983, Foreman escaped to the Costa del Sol in Spain, known at the time as the Costa del Crime, because the tourist region had attracted so many criminals. I was sent to boarding school for my betterment. He was my hero, no matter what hed done. I am not a monster. He eventually separated from Maureen, who died several years ago. The enterprise was run with the help of Buster Edwards and Tommy Wisbey, who would later go on to be involved in the Great Train Robbery of 1963. is no greater dishonour than not being able to support your family, he says. [5][6][3], In his autobiography, Respect, Foreman also admitted to the murders of Frank "Mad Axeman" Mitchell and Tommy "Ginger" Marks during the 1960s in revenge for the shooting of his brother who had been shot in the groin. Freddie Mercury left a legacy when he passed away in November 1991 at the young age of 45 - however the music icon also took many of his secrets to the grave. Tragically, Freddie died on November 24 - just a day after putting out a brave and defiant statement about his HIV status. Foreman is married to Maureen Foreman. When Jer died at the age of 94 in 2016, Queen guitarist Brian May lifted the lid on Freddie's publicity-shy family in his tribute. I try to keep as active as I can, and I've got loads of friends still. Reminiscing about the episode, Mr. Foreman, the self-described Godfather of British crime, now 87 years old, said that the break-in at Security Express had been humane. Part memoir, part documentary, it doesnt shy away from discussing his more callous exploits and explores his relationship with the Krays something he now describes as his "biggest regret. Freddie did not commit any wrongful actions towards the rest of the band. Money, says Foreman, a born raconteur who speaks in long paragraphs peppered with Cockney slang. He is sprightly in manner, but sometimes uses. He was going to shoot six coppers; I should get a medal, Foreman says of Mitchell. They live six miles from Augusta National. Is Netflix show Kaleidoscope based on a true story. Born in 1932, the son of a respectable taxi driver and the youngest of five brothers, the elder of whom served in the second world war, Foreman was initially evacuated but returned during the blitz and witnessed some of its effects, which, he says, still give him nightmares. I was at the Old Bailey at 16 years of age for affray. Better throw in a few extra 'f**ks'!". a walking stick, and two strokes and triple bypass surgery have slowed him down. He is equally tightlipped about Mitchell, whom the Krays had helped escape from Dartmoor prison and hidden in London, but who had become a loose cannon; according to Foreman today, Mitchell had been armed and vowed to take six policemen with him rather than return to jail. When I was 18 and my mother discovered my revolver in my bedroom closet, he adds, she knew what kind of boy I was. What did he think of the film? Dad had been part of the longest trial in British criminal history and was convicted of disposing of the body of McVitie, who was brutally stabbed to death by Reggie Kray. He was charming, intelligent, loyal to his friends and as feared as he was respected.. "When I go to bed at night, the main thing I hope is that I wake up the next morning.". He laments that his sons never visit. I've got seven grandsons and two granddaughters, Ive got great-granddaughters and I hope they never fall foul of the law.". Then I had to break the news to her that they'd just charged me with Franks murder.". Fresh-faced: Jamie Foreman as a young East End lad, Parents: Jamie's mum Maureen and dad Freddie in the sixties with his dad's great friend Ronnie Oliffe, Kray Twins: Ronald, left, and Reginald babysat Jamie, Real East Enders: Freddie Foreman with the late actor George Raft, Ronnie Kray and Mrs Foreman, Reflective mood: Jamie Foreman looks back on his life in his book. Nothing was my idea I was manipulated right, left and centre, he says cheerfully, adding that he is happy with the end result and then, diplomatically: I just hope it encourages kids to get a good education.. In this special documentary, Foreman reveals the audacious details of the heists, double crossings . Estrangement from family is among the most painful human experiences. His mum Jer Bulsara was fiercely protective of her boy, as depicted in the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, in which Rami Malek played the flamboyant and thoughtful Freddie. He was going to shoot six coppers; I should get a medal, Foreman says of Mitchell. He got away. But the lure of crime cut short his American dream. "It was Kaposi's sarcoma [a dark tumour that indicated Aids at the time]. He was going to shoot six coppers; I should get a medal, Mr. Foreman said of Mr. Mitchell. Freddie's father, Bomi Bulsara (played in the movie by Ace Bhatti), was . She even recommended an acting coach. I would stand by my dad no matter what. Anything for Freddies son, darling, she said. ", "They were the curse of my life," he says. Foreman may have got away with that one, but Maureen became a prison widow once more when Foreman was sentenced to nine years for his part in the 1983 Shoreditch Security Express robbery, that saw almost 6m stolen from the company's headquarters. She recommended the Italia Conti stage school, explaining how to apply and prepare for an audition. I consider him a businessman who operated in the criminal world, Van Carter says. There are stacks of gangster films, along with a biography, The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler., Paul Van Carter, director of Fred, a chilling 2018 documentary about Mr. Foremans life, called him the last living legend among the old school London heavy gangsters who came of age on the mean streets of the British capital after World War II. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. ", Still, apart from meeting the Krays, he says he has no regrets about his past. He was tapped for the Security Express job, he said, and he wanted a piece of the action. He was later acquitted of Mitchell's murder and that of Tommy "Ginger . On another occasion, when his philandering older brother George was shot in the groin by the irate husband of one of Georges girlfriends, Foreman says he set out for revenge but mistakenly killed someone else. "Reggie would sit on the fence and he would go either way. "We gradually became aware he had an illness but we had no idea what it was or how serious it was. Foreman leaving Bow Street Magistrates Court after being remanded in 1983, Twin brothers and organised crime bosses Ronnie and Reggie Kray in Cedra Court, off Cazenove Road in northeast London, 3 August 1964, Boxers Reggie (left) and Ronnie Kray with their mother Violet Kray in 1950, The Kray twins pictured on 23rd January 1953, when as teenagers they would report to a local gymnassium in the East End of London, Reginald Kray, one of the infamous Kray twins, celebrates his marriage to Frances Shae in April 1965, Notorious East End gangsters Ronnie (right) and Reggie (left) Kray in October 1965, London gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray refresh themselves with a cup of tea in 1966, London gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray at home having a cup of tea in 1966, East End London gangster Reggie Kray lights up a cigarette for his twin brother Ronnie in 1969, The holes drilled to gain access to the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit, Foreman attends the funeral of Ronnie Biggs at Golders Green Crematorium, Foreman was a freelance hitman for the notorious Kray twins, Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events, Godfather of British crime Freddie Foremanspeaks to Dan Bilefskyabout turning down the Hatton Garden heist, what the Krays were really like, and how hes the last one left, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, It was Easter Monday, and five thieves three wearing balaclavas, two in monkey masks and all of them armed and speaking with fake Irish accents had broken into a security company in, We gave the guards tea, and no one went to hospital, and I am proud of that, says Foreman, a stocky man whose grandfatherly demeanour is hard to square with his former incarnation as a freelance enforcer for. Freddie Foreman didnt want his son to follow in his footsteps. Cant do it any more., How did the film, which has the song Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to? over its end titles, come about? Soon, Foreman was ruling over a swath of south London and owned pubs, betting shops and a nightclub called Hamilton House. When I was 18 and my mother discovered my revolver in my bedroom closet, he added, she knew what kind of boy I was. To order a copy at 5.50, call John Blake Publishing on 020 7381 0666 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm). In the late 1970s, Foreman moved to the United States, where he ran a vending-machine business in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Some might question whether that was quite the theme tune of his life of professional crime. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Foreman is alleged to have been involved in countless other crimes as the Krays' "undertaker". At the time, he was 82. In the late 1970s, Foreman moved to the United States, where he ran a vending-machine business in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I am the last one left, he adds. I didnt have an education, he adds. The Krays he now describes as bad news and the film makes it clear what a grim and brutal crew they were. Something went wrong, please try again later. I knew Jack the Hats boys when I was living in Spain and we were quite pals together; they used to have a drink with me in Eagles, the country club I had there., But in the film he describes in some detail shooting, not fatally, two men who had assaulted a young woman in one of his clubs. "Up until meeting those two I had no problems whatsoever.". Everyone says it was based on me there were so many similarities., His other long jail sentence, of nine years, was for involvement in the 6m Security Express robbery in Shoreditch, east London, in 1983. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. He recalled that he tried to punch and kick his way out of the police car as it sped by the beach on the way to the airport and that he was drugged like an animal before eight police officers bundled him onto a plane. She loved the fact that Freddies spirit lived on so strongly in the work we were doing, and that Freddie was always a physical part of our live shows. My father was free. Evans and his accomplice, Marks, were set to rob a jewellers. He is sprightly in manner, but sometimes uses a walking stick, and two strokes and triple bypass surgery have slowed him down. Holes bored through a 20-inch-thick concrete wall into a vault in Hatton Garden, London, where millions of pounds of gems, gold and cash were stolen by a group of aging thieves in 2015. There is no greater dishonor than not being able to support your family, he said. I wasnt there.. Old friends recently came by to celebrate his 87th birthday, but most former members of what he calls his firm are dead. Im not happy about this, Paul, he says at one stage as he revisits the scene in Bethnal Green where Marks was shot dead in 1965 and is asked to describe what happened. "We never got divorced. What he will say was that being sentenced for the murder of McVitie on the same day as learning that he had been charged with Mitchells murder was the worst day of his life. But back in the 1960s,Foreman was known as the Godfather of London, a ruthless criminal who was a key figure in the Krays' gang, The Firm . Money, says Foreman, a born raconteur who speaks in long paragraphs peppered with Cockney slang. "El Tribunal Supremo ordena la expulsin de un implicado en el 'robo del siglo', "High profile gangsters to talk on 'life of crime' - Local", "East End gangster Fred Foreman: 'You don't prove you're a hard man by stabbing someone', "Frankie Fraser Dead: The Last British Godfather 'Brown Bread Fred' Freddie Foreman", "Self preservation societies: a brief history of heists", "Freddie Foreman Is the Last of London's Old-School Gangsters", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freddie_Foreman&oldid=1133116562, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox criminal with known for parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 09:30. Early twenties by movie by Ace Bhatti ), was in Battersea, south! Him a businessman who operated in the movie by Ace Bhatti ), was died on November 24 just! Hope they never fall foul of the band Maureen lived in Battersea, London, began a life crime! 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why is freddie foreman estranged from his family