Probe into Kray claims 'would be waste of money'

Investigating claims that gangster Ronnie Kray murdered his first sister-in-law would be a ‘‘huge waste’’ of police resources, Reggie Kray’s widow said today.

Frances Kray, Reggie’s first wife, was always thought to have killed herself by taking an overdose.

Scotland Yard announced a probe after Reggie’s prison pal, Bradley Allardyce, said he was told Ronnie had forced her to do it.

However, Reggie’s widow Roberta insisted Allardyce had misunderstood her late husband, who had not meant it literally.

‘‘Reg told me on several occasions that Ron had killed Frances but he didn’t mean it in a literal sense,’’ she said.

‘‘What he meant was that Ron bullied and terrorised her and made her life a misery and Reg did nothing to stop him.

‘‘He was always caught in between the both of them. He felt incredibly guilty that he had not stood up for her and had not helped her more and he believed that both he and Ron had driven Frances to kill herself.’’

Roberta said there was ‘‘no doubt at all’’ that Frances had taken the pills herself.

‘‘Look at the circumstances. Frances was living in a flat with her brother and his wife,’’ she said.

‘‘I think it is ridiculous to suggest that at some point Ronnie Kray went around to see her without anyone else seeing him, persuaded her to take pills and then told Reg that is what he had done.

‘‘I think this is just a situation where Reg has said to Bradley ‘Ron killed Frances, he made her take pills’, but he didn’t mean it in a literal sense.’’

An investigation would prove to be ‘‘a huge waste of Scotland Yard’s resources’’, she added.