David John Courtney (17 February 1959 – 22 October 2023) was an English self-proclaimed

gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

who became both an author and an actor.

Early life

Courtney was born in Forest Hill, London. He went to Adamsrill primary school in

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne un ...

, South East London. Courtney often bragged about supposed connections with gangsters such as Reggie Kray and Lenny McLean, although he was nine years old when Kray was imprisoned. He also claimed to have been involved in debt-collecting, minding clubs, assault,

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

, and murder. He spent time in Belmarsh Prison as a high-security prisoner, as described by ex-prison guard Jim Dawkins in his book ''The Loose Screw''. Courtney claimed to have been shot, stabbed, had his nose bitten off, and stated that he has had to kill to stay alive. He also said that a car crash he was involved in on the M20 was an attempt on his life by "someone who had a grudge against him". His claims of criminal activity have come under scrutiny but the veracity of many never has been proven.

Author

Courtney published six books: ''Stop the Ride I Want to Get Off'', ''Raving Lunacy'', ''Dodgy Dave's Little Black Book'', ''The Ride's Back On'', ''F**k the Ride'', and ''Heroes & Villains''. In his book ''F**k the Ride'', Courtney claimed to have been found not guilty in 19 separate trials.

Published works

* 1999: ''Stop the Ride I Want to Get Off'' * 2000: ''Raving Lunacy'' * 2001: ''Dodgy Dave's Little Black Book'' * 2003: ''The Ride's Back On'' * 2005: ''F**k the Ride'' * 2006: ''Heroes & Villains'' * 2008: ''The British Crime and Prison Quiz Book'' (with Jim Dawkins)

Acting

Largely making a living from television documentaries and personal appearances, Courtney ran his own website, was involved in charity work and worked on the films ''

Six Bend Trap ''Six Bend Trap'' is a 2006 independent comedy crime film written and directed by Mike McCarthy in his directorial debut. The story centres on the world of greyhound racing, where three friends become embroiled in a feud between a powerful busin ...

'' and ''Clubbing to Death'' alongside

Craig Charles Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2 ...

and Huey Morgan. Courtney was featured in the 2008 film '' The Dead Sleep Easy'', filmed on location in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. He also starred in and produced his own film, '' Hell to Pay'' (2005), and took on the leading role of Mad Dave opposite Manish Patel in the low-budget British film '' Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees'' (2003). Courtney worked with Director Liam Galvin on two DVDs – ''Dave Courtney's Dodgy DVD'' and ''Dave Courtney Even Dodgier'' – both released by Gangster Videos. He collaborated again with Liam Galvin on the 2010 film '' Killer Bitch'' and the 2016 film ''Mob Handed''. Courtney appeared in the film ''Mother's Child'' (2020), as club owner Mr Townsend alongside Alex Reid. He made his final cinematic appearance in 2022, portraying John Saviour in Legacy.

Selected filmography

* 1990: '' The Krays'' – Bill * 1998: ''One in Something'' – Man in Lift * 2000: ''Dave Courtney's Underworld'' – Himself * 2003: '' Triads, Yardies and Onion Bhajees'' – Mad Dave * 2004: ''The Baby Juice Express'' – Baxter * 2005: '' Hell to Pay'' – Dave Malone * 2006: ''

'' – Gordy Metcalf * 2007: '' The Dead Sleep Easy'' – Tlaloc * 2008: ''Clubbing to Death'' – Harry Dench * 2010: '' Killer Bitch'' – Dave Courtney * 2011: '' Rule Britannia'' – Himself (Episode: "Fraud") * 2014: ''Full English Breakfast'' – Dave Bishop * 2016: ''Gangsters Gamblers Geezers'' – Terry * 2016: ''Mob Handed'' – The Tank Killer

Legal issues

In June 2004, Courtney was cleared of beating his girlfriend Jennifer Lucrea Pinto during a row over her lesbian lover. In January 2009 he was given an 18-month conditional discharge at

Bristol Crown Court The Bristol Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Small Street in Bristol, England. The building, which was completed in 1868, was previously used as a main post office before it was converted for judicial use in ...

, on a charge of possessing live ammunition without a firearms certificate. His defence of not knowing that the single live pistol round was live rather than a stage prop prompted Judge Ticehurst to comment, "It perhaps undermines your street credibility and your stage performance that you cannot distinguish between a real round and a fake round. But perhaps that's not for me to say." In May 2009, Courtney filed for bankruptcy, reportedly owing £400,000 to creditors, including taxes of £250,000. On 29 July 2009, he was arrested and charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, specifically a Brocock Air Cartridge pistol, and possession of a firearm whilst being a prohibited person. The Brocock pistol, which fired projectiles using pre-charged gas cartridges, was previously a legal air-weapon in the UK but concerns over the "ease" with which these types of gun could be converted into real firearms led to them being banned. After Courtney spending time on remand in HMP Belmarsh, a jury at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

took two hours to find him not guilty on all charges on 10 December 2009.

Personal life

Courtney often referred to himself as ''Dave Courtney OBE'', the suffix standing for ''One Big Ego''. His house in

Plumstead Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich. History Plumstead has been settled since ancient times, and London's earliest timber structure has been found here. ...

, called Camelot Castle, was decorated with

Union Jack The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

flags and the cross of St George, a painted depiction of himself as a knight and a large knuckle duster, alongside a band of supporting knights that included Lenny McLean, the Kray twins, Joey Pyle,

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone ( ; ; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American organized crime, gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-foun ...

John Gotti John Joseph Gotti Jr.Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 25–26 ( , ; October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an American '' mafioso'' and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. He ordered and helped to orchestrate the murder of Gambin ...

Ronnie Biggs Ronald Arthur Biggs (8 August 1929 – 18 December 2013) was an English criminal who helped plan and carry out the Great Train Robbery of 1963. He subsequently became notorious for his escape from prison in 1965, living as a fugitive for 36 y ...

, Freddie Foreman, Roy Shaw,

Howard Marks Dennis Howard Marks (13 August 1945 – 10 April 2016) was a Welsh drug smuggler and author who achieved notoriety as an international Cannabis (drug), cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases. At his peak he claimed to have been sm ...

and Charlie Richardson.

Death

On 22 October 2023, Courtney was found dead at his home Chestnut Rise, Plumstead, having shot himself. He was 64.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Courtney, Dave 1959 births 2023 deaths 2023 suicides Actors from the London Borough of Southwark English non-fiction writers English gangsters English male non-fiction writers Criminals from London Writers from the Royal Borough of Greenwich Writers from the London Borough of Southwark Actors from the Royal Borough of Greenwich Suicides in Greater London Suicides by firearm in England Male actors from London People from Plumstead People from Bermondsey