Talk:HM Prison Durham

Famous inmates
I feel something should be mentioned that both famous inmates no longer reside in HMP Durham. If there is no objections I'll change the title to "Past Inmates". I don't think its the best title, but it conveys the important point that they are no longer there. I know the reference gives this information, but as it stands it could be seen as misleading. If anyone has any better suggested titles, I'd be very interested to hear them. DaveAG 18:26, 4 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I take your point, though "Former inmates" might be a clearer wording. Cheers, DWaterson 08:57, 5 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Cheers, I've changed it to Former inmates as you suggested. DaveAG 09:31, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

They used pseudonyms for many of the charachters in the film, in McVicars Book he uses the real names and writes about Straffen, having some sympathy for him, as he is clearly mentally retarded. Streaky/Jefferies is the Straffen charachter in the film McVicar.

Ian Brady is renamed Cody in the film and is one of two sex cases held at Durham E-Wing (on the third floor), the other being a sex killer known as Butler in the film, in reality the sex killer David Burgess (but little reference is made to him in the film other than those two upstairs Cody and Butler). Burgess was in prison for raping and murdering two nine-year-old girls.

As for Straffen he was feeble minded/retarded, although having escaped from Broadmoor Hospital in the 50's he killed a child, after which time the famous Broadmoor sirens were installed. Straffen was also reponsible for killing two other children in the summer of 1951, the reason he was in Broadmoor in the first place.

Straffen died only recently (November 2007) in Frankland Prison (opened 1983), which is a maximum security prison built just outside Durham at Brasside. He was Britains longest serving prisoner having served over 56 years in prison. If you look at Straffen's Wiki page even mentions his time as Durham, he was there from 1968 through to 1983.

The Ronnie charachter (played by Steven Berkoff) is in reality South London Gangland leader Charlie Richardson (the subject of a recent film himself -'Charlie'), who was imprisoned in Durham at the time, along with his brother Eddie (who McVicar became friends with). It is Charlie Richardson that McVicar and Wally Probyn double cross and leave behind.

Mad Frankie Fraser was also in Durham E-wing but left shortly after McVicar arrived. The other charachters included assorted Great Train Robbers and other criminals deemed a security risk.

Ronnie Kray was transferred to Durham's E-Wing in the late 60's, but this was after the events potrayed in the film.

As far as I am aware Reggie Kray never served any time at Durham, and the description 'Kray Twins' is wrong, Reggie Kray did the majority of his sentence in Parkhurst, and then prisons such as Long Lartin and Gartree, before being downgraded from Maximum Security. Reggie did visit Durham once, to see his older brother 'Charlie Kray' who had a stroke whilst in Frankland Prison in Durham. Charlie Kray was moved to the local Dryburn Hospital, where Reggie visited him.

In 1972, aged only 25, Judith Ward was jailed for life for killing 12 people in an army coach-bombing on the M62. Judith tells the story of her arrest, her several attempted suicides, and her fight to keep sane during one of the harshest of prison lives in her book 'Ambushed: My Story '. Judith Served 15 years in Durham Jail. Carole Richardson served 8 years on Durham's 'A' Wing, and the psychological impact was explored in a Guardian Article freely available on Google.

Mary Anne Cotton was famously executed as Durham Jail, this information is easily assesible on the web, and is even on Mary Anne Cottons Wiki Page. --90.205.89.28 (talk) 12:07, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Sadly some wiki moderator has twice removed perfectly good references, and left citation needed, which is beyond belief. How is anyone meant to reference this if they keep deleting the references. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.205.89.74 (talk) 17:26, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

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