Freddie Foreman (born 5 March 1932) is an English publican, gangster, former associate of the Kray twins and convicted criminal. Foreman was a prominent figure in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

gangland from the 1950s through to the 1980s.

Early life

Frederick Gerald Foreman was born at 22 Sheepcote Lane,

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

on 5 March 1932, the son of Herbert Edward Foreman.

Criminal history

Foreman was nicknamed "Brown Bread Fred" ('Brown Bread' being

Cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...

rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymin ...

for 'Dead'), as he was known in the underworld for being able to dispose of bodies. For a large part of the 1960s, Foreman and the Kray twins' gang The Firm, ruled the streets in the East End of London. But Foreman's association with them ended when all three were imprisoned. At the time of the arrests, Foreman was 36 years old and licensee of The Prince of Wales Pub on Lant Street in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

. Foreman was involved in the disposal of the body of Jack "the Hat" McVitie (murdered by Reggie Kray). He was sentenced to ten years in prison. Foreman was later sentenced to nine years

imprisonment Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...

for handling proceeds from the Security Express robbery in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney alongside neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets, which are also perceived as part of the area due to historic ecclesiastical links. Shoreditch lies just north ...

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

in 1983, which at the time was the largest cash robbery in the UK along with Ronnie Knight, John Mason, Ronnie Everett and Cliford Saxe. 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. He had been acquitted of these murders at an

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 ...

trial in the 1960s. Foreman has served a total of 16 years in prison.

Television

''Fred (2018)''

In 2018, it was announced that a biopic documentary would be made on Foreman, directed by his son Jamie. Rather than glamorizing Foreman's life of crime, ''Fred'' is billed as a sombre and intimate look at the notorious villain towards the end of his life. The biopic was written and directed by Paul Van Carter. ''Fred'' was released in the UK on 17 March 2018.

Personal life

Foreman is married to Maureen Foreman. Together they have three children, actor Jamie Foreman, Gregory and Danielle. Foreman has three grandchildren. In 2018, it was reported Foreman was living in a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

with no money, estranged from his family.

Published works

Foreman has authored 10 books. # ''Respect'' (1997) # ''The God Father of British Crime'' (2005) # ''Brown Bread Fred'' (2007) # ''Getting it Straight'' (2011) # ''The Last Real Gangster'' (2015) # ''Freddie Foreman Pictures'' (2015) # ''The Krays "Read all About It"'' (2016) # ''Freddie Foreman in Pictures'' (2017) # ''Running with The Krays'' (2017) # ''The Godfather of British Crime'' (2018)

References

Literature

* 1932 births Living people English gangsters 20th-century English criminals British people convicted of robbery Criminals from London {{England-crime-bio-stub