South London gangster and rival of the notorious Kray Twins, Charlie Richardson, has died at the age of 78 after collapsing with peritonitis.

The Richardson gang's activities became infamous in 1967 during a case known as the "Torture Trial," in which jurors were told of the torture techniques used on the gang's enemies. Where they would pin their opponents to the floor using six inch nails, pull out their teeth with pliers and electrocute them with cables. Then after the punishment, victims were handed a clean shirt - a gesture that led to torture by the gang becoming known among the London underworld as "taking a shirt from Charlie."

Charlie Richardson, who always denied torture, was jailed for 25 years in 1967 for fraud, extortion and assault. He pleaded to be released from jail several times and escaped from an open prison in 1980 before fleeing to France. Following his eventual release from prison in 1984, he campaigned on behalf of young offenders.

No details of the funeral have been announced yet, but he is expected to receive the same kind of gang land celebrity funeral like the Kray Twins, that saw hundreds turn out on London's streets to pay their respects.

Written and Presented by Ann Salter