24 October 2023 , 17:28
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One of Britain's most notorious East End gangsters admits he's "hurting" in a poignant video message he recorded three months before his death.
Dave Courtney filmed the clip in July, three months before his death, in which he talked about "the wicked life I have had". However, he concedes he intends to take "the cowards' way out" in a suggestion he had planned to end his life. The 64-year-old was found dead at his home in Plumstead, southeast London, on Sunday morning. Friends in his inner circle have made the video public so fans can understand Mr Courtney's journey. In the goodbye message, the reformed crook speaks directly to camera, often smiling and chuckling and he explains his decision.
Dave Courtney recorded a goodbye message on July 5 - more than three months before his death (Dave Courtney OBE Official/Facebook)The video, shared on Dave Courtney's official Facebook page, came with the message: "The video clearly shows Dave had not taken the decision to take his own life lightly, and had gone into thorough planning and preparation to ensure as little pain as possible for his loved ones in the aftermath of his death."
Mr Courtney, who was famously affiliated with East End hardmen the Kray brothers, Roy Shaw and Lenny McLean, says: "As you can all see I am of sound mind and body. Sorry, I took the coward's way out. Don't go racking your brains and thinking why I would do this…I'll tell you why. No woman trouble or anything like that... I am hurting. And disguising a lot of pain." He then goes on to discuss his arthritis "which is crippling me".
The gangster also begs his friends not to "be sad" at his passing, saying: "I can't get up and down the stairs and in and out of the car. I am not enjoying it at the moment. That is really it and I don't want to waste a wicked life that I have had. It has been superb. Any day I can think back on, it was funny and brilliant... I am enjoying it and I do what I want. That really is why I am not here today. Don't be sad. Please don't be sad."
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Mr Courtney, a reformed crook, is pictured at a film premiere in 2019 (Getty Images)
Mr Courtney was found dead on Sunday aged 64 (Getty Images)Mr Courtney's friend Brendan McGirr found him dead. Mr Courtney first became infamous as a debt collector - who often wore a brutal knuckle-duster. He later claimed he had been found not guilty after 19 different trials but was once convicted of possessing live ammunition in January 2009.
And in the three-minute-and-33-second video, Mr Courtney explains in some detail how he was wrongly misunderstood to have been a police informant over the years. After this, he finally signs off with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders: "Um… well… That's it really." The poignant film then stops.
Mr McGirr, 57, revealed this best friend had watched England losing the rugby World Cup semi-final to South Africa on Saturday night before he went to bed. Mr McGirr, who had lived with Mr Courtney for 32 years, said his pal "chose to end his life and be in control... he went out rock 'n' roll style".
Speaking to Mail Online, Mr McGirr said: "Dave watched the rugby with me, we both had a chuckle about England losing in the last minute as usual. I said to him I'm off to bed and he said I'm off to bed too and that was the last thing he said to me. I found his body the next morning and he was at total peace. He made a decision, he controlled his life, he controlled his ending and made the decision. He was in exceptional pain so I totally forgive him, totally understand and I am so proud of him for how brave he must have been."
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