AN explosive new book about the life of gangster Patsy Manning has revealed never-before-seen details about the time he was attacked by legendary mobster Reggie Kray in a Worcestershire prison. The book, Get Behind Your Door: The Forgotten Manuscript, was compiled from Patsy’s handwritten notes over the course of 30 years and was under strict instruction not to be published until after his death, to protect the people he mentioned in it. In 1981, Patsy was serving time in Long Lartin prison, near Evesham, after attacking a nightclub bouncer with a hammer. Reggie Kray was moved to Long Lartin that same year. Mr Manning recalled how he and Reggie, who had known each other for “donkeys years” before they found themselves incarcerated together, would spend evenings playing cards, chatting with each other’s families at visiting time, and even watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana together. He describes how Reggie suffered from bouts of depression and became paranoid that Patsy was plotting with prison officers to have him poisoned. On the day of the attack, Patsy says he was on his way to see his welfare officer when he passed Reggie on the stairs and greeted him. He wrote that Reggie then jumped on him “without any warning” and smashed him on the head with a glass cup. Patsy, who escaped with cuts and bruises, said he later lied to officers to stop Reggie from getting in trouble. He said he had fallen down the stairs while attempting to stop himself colliding with Reggie, smashing the glass cup he was holding.

Patsy went to see Reggie a few days later to clear the air and was attacked again, this time needing two stitches. The two associates did eventually make up, with Reggie writing the dedication for Patsy’s 1984 book, Crumpet All The Way.

Patsy died in October 2016 after a battle with pneumonia, leaving the manuscript with his son.