Ronald Joseph Hart was a distant cousin of the twins and was a key member of The Firm towards the late 1960s despite being the youngest member. He turned Queen's Evidence at the Kray trial when the twins attempted to get him to stand for Jack McVitie's murder.
History
Early life
Hart was born in Bethnal Green in 1942 to Thomas Joseph Hart and Mary Ann Burling (who married in Stepney in 1927). During the early 1960s Hart and been attempting to join The Firm. After being released from prison, he contacted the twins for financial reasons and guidance. Reggie in a later book recalled that Hart "came knocking on the door at Vallance Road one day and said, ‘Hello, I’m your cousin. I want to join your gang.’ We’d never met him before but our checks showed he seemed to be reliable – another mistake – and so we took him on. He was our cousin but he had the habit of calling us both ‘uncle’." It has never been explained in what way Ronnie Hart was actually related to the twins, but is commonly referred to as their cousin.
The Krays
Allegedly "a young man with boyish good looks who admired the twins’ way of life", Hart joined the firm towards the latter years of its lifespan, and it is presumed the twins accepted him more likely due to his family relation.
Ronnie Hart (left) with Billy Frost (centre) and Lenny Hamilton (right) during the 1960s.
It was alleged that on the night Jack McVitie was murdered at 97 Evering Road, he was held in a bearhug by the twins' cousin, Ronnie Hart, and Reggie Kray was handed a carving knife. Hart was then asked by the twins to take stand for the McVitie case. Ronnie Hart had initially not been arrested, and he was not initially sought after by the police. By late August 1968, Ronnie Hart was the only person involved in the McVitie murder who had not been caught. Hart knew that the police were searching for him and at 4.30 a.m. on 31 August, he called Tintagel House and said he was ready to talk, handing himself in. With Albert Donoghue's testimony, Hart was hunted down, found and arrested by the police in 1968. After being asked by the twins to stand for Jack McVitie's murder, Hart then told Nipper Read everything that had happened during the murder, although he was not aware of what happened to the body. This statement then allowed the police to establish the key events that lead up to the murder and subsequently allowed them a strong position to prosecute the twins.
It is known that Harry Hopwood and Ronnie Hart disposed of the gun and the knife in the Regent's Canal. The gun has since been found and is in a museum. A failed attempt was also made to locate the carving knife from the river bed but nothing was found. He turned Queen’s Evidence in court and produced the longest account of the McVitie affair.
Later life
Hart allegedly attempted suicide but then emigrated to Australia. It is possible he is still alive but no information has ever been released.
References
- Bennett, John. Krayology (2015). Mango Books. Kindle Edition, p. 328.
| People associated with The Krays | |
|---|---|
| Kray Family | Ronnie • Reggie • Charlie • Violet • Charles |
| Shea Family | Frances • Frank • Elsie • Frank Sr. |
| Lee Family | Cannonball Lee • Grandma Lee • Aunt Rose • Aunt May • Uncle John |
| The Firm | Albert Donoghue • Ian Barrie • Leslie Payne • Big Pat • Ronnie Bender • Ronnie Hart • Teddy Smith • Jack Dickson • The Bear • Chris Lambrianou • Tony Lambrianou • Connie Whitehead |
| The Richardsons | Charlie Richardson • Eddie Richardson • George Cornell • Mad Frankie Fraser • Roy Hall • Jimmy Moody • Barry Harris • Albert Longman • Tommy Clark |
| Gangsters & Criminals | Freddie Foreman • Jack Spot • Billy Hill • Bert Rossi • Albert Dimes • Eric Mason • Johnny Squibb • Ginger Marks • Leslie Holt |
| Civilians | The Barmaid • Blonde Carol • Maureen Flanagan • Nipper Read • Lord Boothby • John Pearson • David Bailey |
| Victims | George Cornell • Frank Mitchell • Jack the Hat |