Dawn Raid

After years of fear… the law finally fights back.

In Episode 13 of The Krays Web, the focus shifts from the Kray twins to the man determined to bring them down — Superintendent Leonard “Nipper” Reed.

With a renewed investigation, new witnesses, and a strategy to dismantle the entire organisation, the walls begin to close in on the Kray empire.

In this episode:
• The failures and corruption that delayed justice for years
• The return of the investigation under “Nipper” Reed
• Building a case against the entire Kray “Firm”
• Leslie Payne’s explosive statement and insider revelations
• Surveillance and intelligence gathering
• The coordinated dawn raids of May 1968
• Arrests, charges, and the beginning of the end

Why it matters:
This is the turning point — when silence breaks, loyalty fractures, and the Krays’ sense of invincibility begins to collapse.

Follow the show for the final chapter in the Kray story — the trial that would seal their fate.

Next episode: The courtroom — where everything comes together.

Links to Resources

Check out my website for resources used and social media links : thekraysweb.com

Contact me : wendyceepods@gmail.com

Music by Captain Fat Hands captainfathands.com

Transcript

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Wendy Cee 0:23

Welcome to the Krays Web, a podcast about the infamous Kray twins and those associated with them. I'm your host, Wendy C. This is season one, The Krays, episode 13, Dawn Raid. Please note that there is some swearing in this podcast and descriptions of violence. I'll be adding specific trigger warnings where needed. The voices that you hear throughout the podcast are all my family and friends who have rallied round to help me to make this podcast more enjoyable for you to listen to. I've used lots of sources when writing these episodes, far too many to list here, but details of which you will be able to find on my website, the crazeweb.com. Due to the Krays influence and the corruption in the police force in the 1960s, they mainly flew under the radar. There was an investigation conducted in 1965, but after information was gathered, nothing was followed up. That was until September 1967, 18 months after the murder of George Cornell and nine months after Frank the Mad Axman Mitchell went missing, when Superintendent Nipper Reed was assigned to investigate the Krays and their activities, along with Sergeant Alfie Hemingway and Sergeant Alan Wright. They began by pulling everything that Scotland Yard held on the Krays and their activities. Nipper, who had worked on the 1965 investigation, found to his dismay that the only items held on file were those that he himself had collated back then. In the subsequent two years, nothing had been added to the files. There was nothing about the witness who had met with Tommy Butler behind the stands at the Hackney Greyhound Stadium to give a tip about George Cornell's murder. There was nothing about the identity parades that took place that included the twins after the shooting of George Cornell. And there was nothing about barmaid Mrs. X refusing to attend the identity parade. Disappointed and on the back foot, Nipper and his team took a step back to work out where to start. After a lot of thought, Nipper decided the best approach was to build evidence against the whole firm rather than investigating the individual murders and missing people. He wanted their work to have the most impact to the most people. It was going to take time. They were going to need to gather and meticulously catalogue as much evidence as they could. They were going to face many, many challenges. It was unlikely that witnesses would willingly come forward. It was unlikely that victims would willingly come forward, and it was extremely unlikely that any of the firm would willingly come forward. But that was Nipper's best hope. So he wrote a list of thirty-two former firm members that he was aware of from his previous inquiries, and he began pounding the pavement, visiting as many as he could in person. And of course, just a few weeks into these investigations, Jack the Hat McFitty disappeared, with rumours of his murder circulating around the East End. In Nipper's book, The Man Who Nicked the Krays, sorry for the spoiler, he talks about a few of the people he tracked down and the tricky juggling act he had to do between wanting to gather information and needing to talk to people who wouldn't go running back to the craze and warn them, such as Billy Exley, who was sick following a heart attack. He told Nipper in no uncertain terms that he was not interested in helping. And when Nipper pointed out that he might want to cooperate as one, he had left himself in a vulnerable position by leaving the firm, and two, if there were arrests of firm members he might be caught up in it, Nipper was told Don't worry about me. If they come looking for me, I've a shotgun behind the door, and that's what they'll get. Don't worry, it's licensed. Eventually Nipper made his way to Leslie Payne, the Kray's former business manager who'd removed himself from the firm as the violence increased. After a lot of back and forth, promises of anonymity until such a time that the case was ready, and the offer of the presence of a solicitor at all meetings, Leslie Payne agreed. Nipper believes that Leslie knew he was on Ronnie Kray's hit list, and that he would be dead before long unless he did something to protect himself. Of course we know that Leslie was definitely on the Kray's hit list, because this hit was the job that Jack the Hat McVitie had been paid for, along with Billy Xley, that had not been carried out because Leslie's wife had answered the door and advised them that he was not at home. And Leslie was also aware, though he would hate to admit it.

Leslie Payne 5:06

In his book The Brotherhood, he says Plans and speculation for ending my life have become both elaborate and involved, and I will not bore the reader with all the details that came to my ears through the Bush Telegraph. But the tendency to overdo things and to assess situations wrongly is indicated by the foray into Scotland, made by one agent who got thirty-six sticks of dynamite, enough to blot the whole of Fleet Street.

Wendy Cee 5:30

He goes on to say.

Leslie Payne 5:32

There was the time too when I arrived at London Airport to find an American mafia trigger man waiting for me, with one of our local firm members to make the necessary introductions. Alas for their sanguine hopes. With me, I had a couple of Corsican companions, one of who had come through customs quite calmly, armed and equipped like Billy the Kid.

Wendy Cee 5:53

Leslie describes how he declined the kind offer from the American mafia to discuss the matters during a car journey, encountered with two options of his own. One, to settle the argument on the spot there and then, two, that the triggerman should leave the country now, while only stopping to call his employer to let him know. Of course, this interaction had further frosted the relationship with the craze. So Leslie needed protection, or he would likely be dead very soon. And Nip had his first supergrass as he called them. Here is an excerpt from his book. Tintagil House was the Metropolitan Police Headquarters.

Speaker 4 6:29

To take Payne's statement, 146 pages long, I chose the library of a quiet police section house in Marlabone. He clearly could not be seen at Tintagil House since the library was little used. There was no possibility of a leak from that quarter. It took three weeks, working six and more hours a day to complete. The statement covered long foam frauds, stolen bonds, forged currency, the sale of drugs, blackmail and assaults, as well as an enormous amount of general and background information about the day-to-day running of the Krays enterprises.

Wendy Cee 7:03

Of course, Leslie was in a difficult situation. His involvement in the Krays firm meant that there was a fine line between him reporting facts to Nipper and incriminating himself. So Nipper was careful to take legal advice to ensure that this was handled correctly as they went. Ronnie in high spirits and quite irresponsible, relishing the details of the killing, talking about the way he died and how he looked, the noise he made, and how much blood there was. The amount seemed to surprise him. Reggie was stunned by everything at first, and the drink took some time to wear off. Afterwards, Ronnie's good humour was contagious. Here in this solid university hotel, it was difficult to credit the drunken horror of the previous night. He felt safe with Ronnie near him, relieved to know that he hadn't let him down. Ronnie's approval meant a lot to him these days. From Cambridge, the twins and their driver made their way to Lavenham in Suffolk, where they stayed at the principal hotel. They were back in the place where Ronnie was happiest, and they blended in with tourists as if they didn't have a care in the world. They had an acquaintance in this area who lived in a huge house and had a fancy car, and Ronnie took full advantage of this. Ronnie was living his great adventure. He borrowed the car and had himself driven by the chauffeur to look for a country property for himself. He put on evening dress and went to the local hunt ball. He was beginning to see himself among the local gentry. Reggie got drunk. After a week in the country, the twins returned to London and went into hiding in Walthamstow. Albert Donahue says.

Albert Donahue 9:05

This was a pretty good bet because even when the police had a body, like George Cornell's two years earlier, the twins had defeated them by exploiting the East End's traditional wall of silence.

Wendy Cee 9:17

Rumours had started to circulate about what had happened to Jack the Hat. John Dixon recalls their encounter in his book The Secrets of the Krays. He was sitting in a club having a quiet drink with a couple of mates when a couple of Burley men came in inquiring of the whereabouts of Reggie Kray. John was told that they had heard that Reggie had butchered Jack and wanted to know if the rumour was true. They had been inside with Jack and didn't think he deserved that. John fobbed the men off, saying he could get a message to Reggie, but he couldn't tell them where he was. They expected him to be around in a few days. John then went to see the twins and spoke to Ronnie.

John Dickson 9:53

They just told me they were friends of Jack the Hat, and they seemed to know that Reggie killed him. I am sure they're told up. At these last words, Ronnie's face reddened, and he shouted, That bastard had no friends. We've done everyone a favor getting rid of him. We were hearing from all sorts of people that he was gunning for us, and we were told it was him or us. Those geezers must have been the law. He paused for a moment, then he laughed to himself. We've heard that they know there's been a murder, but they won't be able to do anyone for it. How can they prove anything without a body? He is well and truly burned up.

Wendy Cee 10:40

And just like that, as far as the twins and the firm were concerned, the murder of Jack the Hat had been forgotten. Ronnie and Reggie were back on the scene. They were still running their various businesses, frauds, and intimidation schemes. They were still helping their friends on the inside deal with wives with wondering eyes. Life for them continued as if nothing had happened. In fact, they were even planning to write a book about their life with journalist John Pearson, which became the profession of violence, one of the many books that are quoted in this podcast. But others in the firm were nervous. For example, John Dixon, Ronnie's driver, and Ian Barry, Ronnie's right hand man, who were old friends from way back. If you remember they had moved from Scotland to London together to start a new life and ran into the craze almost immediately. They would often get together for a catch up, and this one particular evening they were talking about Jack the Hat. Ian had been friends with Jack and said that if he had been there that evening at Blonde Carols, he would try to have stopped Reggie. They both sat wondering how on earth they ended up here, and maybe more importantly, how on earth they could get themselves out of this.

John Dickson 11:49

We both sat there talking about the past, and we both knew that nobody would dare to go into a witness stand and give evidence against the twins. But we also knew that unless something drastic happened, things would get a lot worse in the East End.

Wendy Cee 12:05

Fortunately, as you heard at the beginning of this episode, there would be some people who were willing to speak to the police. Ronnie and Reggie genuinely believed that they were above the law and that they were untouchable. Whenever there was trouble, like when one of the firms shot a man in the leg in a club for apparently no reason at all, the result of which was a huge fight, followed by the club being closed by the police just a couple of weeks later. Ronnie's response was always Nothing can touch us. It's frightening really to think that they believed that they had that much power and influence over the police. But Nipper Reed had other ideas. The 8th of May 1968, seven months after the murder of Jack the Hat McFitty. It's a normal night out for the members of the firm, a night of fun and laughter with other firm members and their partners. But this one was going to be memorable. Reggie says.

Reggie Kray 13:04

On the 8th of May 1968, Ron and I and a number of the firm went to Terry Barry's pub for a drink. It was one of the best nights I ever had. And at closing time we all got in several cars and went to the Aster Cub off Berkeley Square. We continued drinking there until the early hours. I noticed while we were there that flashlight bulbs seemed to be exploding all over the place. We were used to having our photographs taken when we went out, but so many was unusual. And I mentioned this to Ron. I also noticed plainclosed police detectives mingling in the club. But we were used to this too, so we didn't take much notice.

Wendy Cee 13:41

Ronnie says.

Ronnie Kray 13:43

The night that came for us had been the kind of night we always enjoyed. A few drinks at a pub with some of the firm, then up the West End at the clubs. We went to the Astor Club off Barkley Square, and we sat there drinking and talking till the early hours. We never thought anything was up. We knew there were some plainclothes detectives in the club. We could always spot them a mile off, but that was nothing unusual. They were always following us about. Me and Rich eventually left the Astor and drove back to a flat we owned in Brightwight House in Old Street. He was with a girl, I and a fella with me. We all had a nightcap and went to bed.

Wendy Cee 14:17

John Dixon says.

John Dickson 14:19

We left the pub at closing time and drove to the Astor Club in the West End. Everybody seemed to arrive at the same time, but I had a habit of never parking my car outside any drinking place. So I stopped outside the club to let my girlfriend out. She went into the Aster with Reggie and his girl. After I had parked the car elsewhere, I walked to the entrance of the club. I had the oddest sensation of being watched, yet I didn't see anybody lurking around or even acting suspiciously. I shrugged off the feeling and decided to have a good evening.

Albert Donahue 14:54

Albert Donahue says On the eighth of May 1968, we were having a night at West in the Asta Club. I was sitting with Reggie, separate from the rest of the crowd. They used to have a club photographers there, and one girl kept taking flash photos of me and in Reggie. This was normal, except the rule was that pictures were to be taken only on request. So I asked Reggie, have you asked her to take photos? He said, No. And then I said to her, Who's told you to take these photos? And all of a sudden she burst into tears and ran off. Straight away the alarm bells were ringing in my guts. I look around and I realise the place is crawling with old Bill. Even in plain clothes, they stick out a mile. I tell Reggie, but we're not greatly fussed because he has been going on around the twins for three years. In the early hours we all clear off. We're not expecting police action tonight, but we know they are definitely stepping up their surveillance.

Speaker 10 15:50

Tony Lambriano says We'd all been drinking at the Old Horns on the night of the seventh. We went from there to the Astor Club off Berkeley Square, where Albert McDonoghue and Ronnie Bender tried to take a camera off a girl who was taking photographs. Everyone was enjoying themselves, and I remember saying goodnight to the twins when we left about two in the morning. Ronnie with a boy and Reggie with a girl. Chris and I stayed on for a little drink and then drove straight up to Birmingham.

Wendy Cee 16:17

Chris Lambie says. On Tuesday, the 7th of May, the twins invited me down to London for a night out at the Astor Club. Most of the firm was there, taking up three tables, and we had a fun evening. Reg was relaxed in the company of one of my ex-girlfriends from Birmingham, June MacDonald, and Ronnie seemed happy enough with a fresh face young boy. It was now more than six months since McVitie's murder, and still nothing had appeared in the papers. If the twins were worried about me or anyone else opening their mouths, they did not show it that night. Leonard Nipper Reed held a briefing at Tintagel House in the early morning of the 7th of May 1968. Nipper.

Speaker 4 17:10

I called the pre-arrest briefing for the early hours of the 7th of May. The instructions were simple. At 6 AM sharp, each team was to enter premises and arrest the occupants, tell them briefly the reason, and make a thorough search. When they left, an officer was to remain on the premises to ensure there could be no communication with any members of the firm who had temporarily avoided capture. All those arrested were to be brought to West End Central Police Station, where I had arranged for a number of cells to be made available. Some of the squads were issued with firearms and with photographs of all suspects. Watches were synchronized, and the team were sent away to get into position. Cater and I had reserved the twins for ourselves. Naturally we had had them under surveillance for the past twenty four hours.

Wendy Cee 18:01

The plan was set, the troops were ready. We need to remember what it was like at the time. If this was arranged now the police would need to think about social media, text messaging, video messaging, the internet, ring doorbells, and the accessibility of mobile phones. Back then most houses didn't have a landline telephone, so someone would have to go to a phone box down the end of the road to make a call. So while a coordinated hit was of course optimal, it would have taken considerably longer for the word to get around. But Nipper Reed was not taking any chances. He had been following the craze for a long time, and he needed this plan to go down without any hiccups. Nipper.

Speaker 4 18:42

At five to six we took the lift to the ninth floor and crowded round the front door, listening for any signs of movement. Suddenly we heard the lift start again, and then with a great clank, the doors opened, and a milkman appeared carrying two crates. Two of my men grabbed him, and before he knew what was happening, he was on his way to the ground floor again. At six o'clock precisely, Algie Hemingway jimmied the front door. Two minders were asleep in the living room, and by the time I followed through, both of the twins had been handcuffed. Ronnie was found in bed with a young boy and Reggie with a girl. They too were arrested along with the minders.

Wendy Cee 19:23

Ronnie.

Ronnie Kray 19:24

We were all sound asleep when there was a hell of a commotion. I woke up to find my bed surrounded by police, some of them armed. They were led by Nicola Reed, and they'd smashed down the front door to get in. I was start naked, but that made no difference to them. Reg was brought into the room, and Reed said we were going to be charged with murder and other offences. He asked us if we'd got anything to say, and Reg said, Yes, Mr. Reed. We've been expecting a frame up for a long time, but we got plenty of witnesses. There's a lot of people wanting to help us. At the time, we believed that. We knew we had a bit of trouble here, but we didn't think it was anything we couldn't handle.

Reggie Kray 20:00

Reggie. I was sleeping soundly and contently when something woke me up. I looked up from beneath the sheets to find the bed was surrounded by plainclothed police, some holding revolvers and another with an iron bar. Chief Inspector Nipper Reed was the leader of this howling mob and he said, You're under arrest. Get out of bed with your hands in the air. I thought this was rather embarrassing because I was naked and lying next to a young lady, but I complied with his wishes, even though I could see how humorous I must have looked. Reed proceeded to read out the many charges, which included murder. I was allowed to put on my trousers, shirt, and shoes, and was then handcuffed and escorted to waiting cars in the street. I was driven to police headquarters where I was placed in a cell. Ron had been put through the same procedure and charged too. It was the end of our reign.

Wendy Cee 20:53

Charlie Kray.

Charlie Kray 20:55

They came for me that Wednesday at 6 AM. The doorbell rang and there was a heavy knocking at the front door. Dolly sat up in bed. What is that, Charlie? I put on a dressing gown and shuffled sleepily downstairs. I opened the door to the full extent of the safety chain. I didn't get a chance to ask who it was or what they wanted because three plainclothes detectives shoved against the door, breaking the chain. Hold up, I said, suddenly wide awake. What's wrong? They all closed in on me so that I couldn't move. Let's go in here, shall we? one of them said. They ushered me into the lounge. One of them eased me into a chair, another took the phone off the hook.

Wendy Cee 21:30

The commotion had not only woken up Dolly and Charlie, but also the children, Gary and Nancy, and they were all stood in the lounge looking confused and shocked as the men gathered in their home. Charlie didn't have any idea what was going on. Who were these men? He didn't think they were the Metropolitan Police, and he was worried they might be armed. Charlie demanded answers. How dare they just barge into his house at dawn with no explanation?

Charlie Kray 21:54

He said I was being arrested on a charge of conspiracy to defraud. I stared back at him in shock. I'd never defrauded anyone in my life, was all I said. They cautioned me that anything I said would be taken down and might be used in evidence against me. I decided to say nothing else. There was nothing else to say. The allegation was utter nonsense.

Wendy Cee 22:14

Charlie was told to get dressed, Dolly made a pot of tea, and they all stood around, according to Charlie, making polite conversation like strangers at a vicar's tea party. As they left the house, the police tried to handcuff Charlie, but the handcuffs were too small. So in the end Charlie was escorted to the police car outside with an officer in each arm. Albert Donahue had spent the night at a girlfriend's house.

Albert Donahue 22:37

Early in the morning, police come to my home, but I I'm not there, so I don't know about this. Around eight thirty AM I I come out of the girl's place and I'm going off to attend the normal nine o'clock meet at Braithwaite House with the twins. I walk past a newspaper stand and I see a placard saying something about the craze. That's nothing out of the ordinary. They're in the papers most days. So I reach the block and I get in the lift and I go up to the ninth floor. As I walk along I see these two coppers outside their flat, but even that doesn't worry me too much because the police might be there for all sorts of trivial reasons.

Wendy Cee 23:12

So Albert approaches the door and sees it has been broken off its hinges. The police ask Albert who he is, and he says he's a cab driver from Bow, who Mr. Kray has an account with, and he comes once a week to collect his money. The police tell Albert, allegedly using some very colourful language, that Mr Kray won't be settling up that week and to go away, so he does. Albert was one of the lucky ones who wasn't where the police thought they would be, and even though he knew he would likely eventually be rounded up, he had a bit of breathing space to tidy up some things on the outside, make sure his wife and children were provided for, and deal with any loose ends. Albert was not the only one who wasn't caught in those dawn raids. Chris and Tony Lambrianu had been with the twins at the Astor Club the night before, but Chris had a meeting in Birmingham the next morning, so rather than stay over at their dad's house in London, they had both driven back to Birmingham that night. Tony.

Speaker 10 24:06

The first I know about what had happened was when Nicky phoned me about eleven that morning at the Albany Hotel in Birmingham. He said the twins have been nicked. They were always expecting it to happen, but nothing concerned them. Like everyone else, they thought it was just a hold. That it would be a case of holding charges or, as we called them, bow and arrow charges being made against them, and then they would be free. It had happened before. In the evening it hit all the newspapers. It was national news that a number of men had been arrested, although there was nothing mentioned about the murders, and half of the reports didn't even refer to the twins by name, but just called them businessmen. Chris.

Wendy Cee 24:47

Later that morning the phone rang at my flat in Birmingham. It was Tony Hart. He sounded excited. Have you heard the news? What news? I asked. About the twins, he said. They've been nicked. Nipper.

Speaker 4 25:03

Back at West End Central, the cells were full too overcrowding with people waiting to be interviewed and charged. There wasn't time for a sandwich, let alone breakfast. Now the first person I wanted to see was blonde Carol Skinner, whose flat I believed to have been the one in which Jack Metfitte had been killed.

Wendy Cee 25:20

Carol was collected from her house in Evering Road and brought in for questioning. Not only did she deny that her house had been used for the killing of Jack the Hat, she denied even knowing the craze. Nipper had a huge task ahead of him. He needed to decide what each person should be charged with, arranged for the solicitors to be contacted for all those that were asking for them. And then there was all the admin of typing up the charge sheets. With no computers, that task alone took thirty six hours.

Speaker 4 25:49

It was just before twelve forty five AM on the tenth of May before we started to have the prisoners charged by the duty inspector, and it was 2 AM before the last charges were put to the twins. The charges at that stage were two cases of conspiracy to murder, two of blackmail, six relating to stolen bonds, four of long firm frauds, and one of grievous bodily harm.

Wendy Cee 26:20

So what about the others who had not been picked up that morning? Albert Donahue spent his time moving around, a week here, a few days there, as the net closed around him and the others. Three months after the dawn raised, Tony and Chris Lambriani's brother Nikki was picked up by the police and questioned about the death of Jack the Hat McVitty. Tony phoned Chris to tell him, but neither were that bothered by the news. There were still others from the night of that infamous party at Blon Carroll's that hadn't been pulled in yet. The next day though, I was pulled in myself. I was staying at Hart's hotel in Walsall, and was woken early in the morning by police breaking down the bedroom door. They said that I had some knowledge of a murder and they were taking me to London. I expected to be taken to Scotland Yard, and was surprised when we pulled into Tintegell House. Nipper Reed came quickly to the point. He said he knew I was at a party in Evering Road on the twenty eighth of October 1967, and had broken down on the stairs when I realised what was going to happen. He related everything that had happened that night and asked if I was prepared to talk. I was shell-shocked. Someone had obviously made a statement, but I was not about to incriminate myself. Tony, please note that Policci's is a very famous cafe associated with the twins and the members of the firm, where they would meet regularly and eat. It's still there today and it is still run by the same Italian family who ran it back in the day. Today it attracts many tourists and the owners are lovely.

Speaker 10 28:38

The morning of the 11th of September 1968 started just like any other day. My wife Pat used to bring me in the papers and ham and cheese rolls from Pelicis, and then I'd get my little daughter ready to take to school. On this particular morning, Pat said to me, There are two men sitting outside in a taxi. The milkman seems to have changed, and there are two dustmen sweeping the road. I looked out the window but took no notice. The next thing I knew, the door was coming in, and ten policemen were round my bed telling me not to move my arms, otherwise I'd get my head blown off. I was to draw out one arm at a time very slowly and get dressed. Then I was going to be interviewed by Nipper Reed.

Wendy Cee 29:18

Everybody had been rounded up. This was the beginning of the end for the Krays. Thank you for listening to the Krays Web. This was episode 13, Dawn Raid. Next week, in episode 14, Trials and Tribulations, I will be discussing what happened next. Finally, I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped me to put the podcast together. Please check out the show notes and my website for more information on the books and reference material that I used for my research. Until next time, stay safe.